It was one of the most important tries in Northampton Saints’ history, but James Ramm looks back on it with some regret.
Just over an hour had passed in a see-sawing Champions Cup semi-final against Leinster in Dublin. Both teams had scored four tries apiece, with the Saints holding a narrow 30-27 lead.
Having been on the back foot for much of the second half, Northampton suddenly found themselves in striking distance after reacting fastest to a scuffed Fin Smith grubber. Three quick passes later, Ramm, galloping in from full-back, slid over the line. The conversion stretched the lead to 10 in a match eventually won by three.
“It was definitely the most memorable try I’ve ever scored, it’s just a shame I looked like Bambi doing it,” Ramm half-jokes. “If I score in the final I might have to do a backflip to make up for it.”
Again, Ramm is only half joking. Because even among the star power on display in this weekend’s Champions Cup final – where two of the competition’s most dynamic backlines face off – the 27-year-old Australian from Sydney might be the only one capable of executing a tuck, pike and layout.
For most of his childhood, until his mid-teens, Ramm was a talented gymnast with Olympic aspirations.
“That was a goal, a serious goal,” he says. “I competed in all six apparatus [floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar] but wasn’t really brilliant at any of them. That’s maybe why I got out.”
Everything in gymnastics is critiqued – every micro movement. So training 30 hours a week is a must. And physically, it’s obviously a great springboard for all sports.
That, and his size. Ramm is 6ft 3ins – a giant in gymnastics, where the average male Olympian barely reaches 5ft 5ins. Still, his experience on the mat has shaped his rise in rugby.
“Mostly it gave me real discipline to work hard,” Ramm explains. “Everything in gymnastics is critiqued – every micro movement. So training 30 hours a week is a must. And physically, it’s obviously a great springboard for all sports. In rugby, it’s helped me in the air, especially with high balls. With the new laws, it gets chaotic up there, so knowing what to do with your body when you’re off the ground is a real advantage.”
Chaos is a recurring theme in conversation with Ramm – it’s how he describes life in a Saints backline that includes three British and Irish Lions and enough highlight-reel moments to fill a feature-length film.
“There’s an attitude that just becomes part of you from the moment you step into this place,” says Ramm, who joined the club from the Waratahs in 2022. “Everything is geared towards that attacking approach.
“You should see some of our training sessions. Balls flying everywhere. You’re in one channel, then suddenly a ball is kicked crossfield and we all have to adjust. We’ll do that for 15-minute blocks every session. So reacting to chaos becomes a trained skill. When you expect the unexpected, nothing catches you off guard – and you can take advantage. It’s chaos, but it seems to be working.”
There’s something almost Australian in Northampton’s approach – reminiscent of the ethos of Nick “The Honey Badger” Cummins, who famously promised to “get it up the guts”. That spirit is part of what drew Ramm to the club. From afar, he’d assumed northern hemisphere rugby was all grinding percussion and box kicks.
“I thought it was all wet, slow and attritional, with lots of mauls,” he says. “But it’s been the opposite since I got here. Maybe perceptions were wrong.”
Maybe the change coincided with his arrival?
“Yeah, sure,” he says, laughing. “Definitely put that in the piece.”
We don’t fear them. We can’t wait. If I was a fan, I’d be so excited by this game.
Though Ramm insists he doesn’t overthink things on the pitch – “I honestly don’t get hung up about what happens,” he says. “Maybe that helps me express myself without fear of failure” – he’s aware of the momentous nature of this final.
Statistically, Bordeaux-Bwgles – Northampton’s star-studded opponents – lead the Champions Cup in points, tries, metres made and line breaks. They also top the charts in turnovers won, a platform for Damien Penaud, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Matthieu Jalibert and Maxime Lucu to wreak havoc from broken play.
“They’ve got some serious firepower,” Ramm admits. “But so do we. We don’t fear them. We can’t wait. If I was a fan, I’d be so excited by this game. Two teams who want to give the ball some air and make it sing. I’d be stoked with the brand of rugby that’s on show.”
Perhaps this final proves trophies aren’t only won by teams with the burliest packs or most efficient scrums. Maybe this is one for the romantics, those who fell in love with the running rugby of the great Welsh sides led by Gareth Edwards, JPR Williams and Barry John. Fitting, then, that this showdown for Europe’s top prize is taking place in Cardiff.
“It’s the biggest game of my life,” Ramm says. “I think it would have to be. Such a great competition, such a great arena. It’s the biggest by far.”
He leaves something hanging; a quiet promise, perhaps, or at least a stated intent to climb one rung higher.
“I wasn’t always a rugby fanatic,” he reveals. “I played seconds and thirds at school [St Joseph’s College, the alma mater of 57 Wallabies including Matt Burke, Kurtley Beale and Tom Wright]. I wasn’t all that serious, but I loved playing with my mates.
“Then I went to Randwick and played in the third colts team – about as low as you can go at that age group. It didn’t matter. Then all of a sudden I started getting better. Slowly at first, then quite quickly. It wasn’t a conscious thing. I didn’t set out to become a professional. But when it started happening, I took it more seriously, and suddenly I had a shot.”
Within three years of playing third-grade colts, he was representing Australia A and signing with the Waratahs, where he played 15 Super Rugby matches. Now with a Premiership winner’s medal at home and a shot at a European crown, Ramm has his sights on Test rugby.
“That’s the goal,” he states – though he doesn’t pledge allegiance. With an English father, a Kiwi mother, and three passports, he could yet wear white, black or gold at the highest level.
Conquering Europe might get him noticed. Celebrating a match-winning try with a front handspring wouldn’t hurt either.
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