What Northampton make of headache Tommy Freeman is causing England

Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson has said he is looking forward to seeing how England utilise Tommy Freeman during the autumn internationals after his starring role in Saints’ thumping 47-17 victory over Sale.

Freeman played the first four matches of Northampton’s season on the wings but started at outside centre against Sale, who saw the match rapidly get away from them after youngster Alex Wills was sent to the sin bin in the first half.

It was Freeman’s last Gallagher Premiership match before reporting for international duty with England, whose coach Steve Borthwick seemingly has a nice problem over where to play him. Dowson said of the 23-year-old: “He is obviously adept at all those positions – full-back, wing, 13 today – and the more you get him on the ball the better. He got some space today and he showed what a capable player he is.

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“Steve has got some great decisions to make in that space – Henry Slade is one of the best in the league and he is back fit, so he has got some decisions to make in terms of how he balances that up. I would be surprised if he [Freeman] was not in the mix somewhere and where he fits and how he fits and how they get him in the game is interesting.”

Northampton, who were looking to bounce back from their derby defeat to Leicester, scored early through Freeman and George Furbank before Luke Cowan-Dickie pulled a try back for Sale. However, three tries in six minutes followed Wills’ yellow card as Ollie Sleightholme (two) and Tom James extended Saints’ advantage.

"That's what we want to do every week" ?@TommyFreemo15 reflects on an incredible first half for @SaintsRugby!#GallagherPrem | #NORvSAL pic.twitter.com/Vown0gVimo

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) October 18, 2024

George Hendy’s intercept score made it 40-10 at half-time and after Joe Carpenter pulled one back after the break, James Ramm rounded the night off for Northampton as they made it 18 successive home wins at Franklin’s Gardens.

Dowson added: “In the derby [at Leicester], we didn’t convert a lot of our opportunities and today, via the bounce of the ball and a stroke of luck, we converted pretty much everything.”

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson accepted his share of the responsibility for the Sharks performance. He said: “They were sharp and aggressive and we played too loose against an angry side, if I’m honest, and that is down to the preparation.

“I have said I’m taking that off the boys – as coaches we probably didn’t focus on the right things in the week and that looseness showed in the turnover tries a lack of physicality in defence in some of those opening sets.

“We found ourselves 30 points down at half-time and that climb is too steep and too long against a decent team. Our execution in attack was as poor as it has been, and it has been good so that was the exception over the last three weeks, at least.

“It is very difficult to put a finger on it without having looked at the tape, but I think the mentality drives your behaviours and I think I got that wrong this week.”

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