LONG READ Northampton ‘late bloomer’ Tom Litchfield: ‘When we're on it, we just carve teams up’

If England are serious about their desire to play the way they did in defeat against France in the final game of the Six Nations going forwards, then they have a ready-made template close at hand.

Watch Super Rugby LIVE on RugbyPass TV

Tune in to every Super Rugby Pacific 2026 match live and on-demand on RugbyPass TV and via the RugbyPass app.

Watch Live

Streaming available in the USA only.

Northampton, the league’s most potent team, passed a century of tries at Harlequins in the final game of the regular season.

They have racked up a try-scoring bonus point in 15 of their 18 games; the 94-point shellacking of Bristol last month was simply shock and awe on a rugby field.

So while the thought of an England backline comprised entirely of Saints players may be an East Midlands fantasy centre, Tom Litchfield does not bat an eyelid when confronted with the idea.

“I think some people are calling for it now, aren’t they?” said the 24-year-old.

“Sam Vesty does a great job with us, giving us confidence and giving us the right tools to play how we play, so why not? We obviously all gel well together at Saints so why wouldn’t it work for England?

“When we’re on it, we just carve teams up.You saw that against Bristol. When we’re full of confidence, when we’re playing like that, we’re hard to stop. We believe we can do that every time we step out onto the pitch.”

The secret lies in a combination of individual talent and a training ground routine under Vesty, the head coach, light on contact and heavy on handling and decision-making.

If I’m maybe the low-key guy who doesn’t get the headlines all the time, then I don’t mind being that cog in the wheel. I’ll just keep it turning and offer what I offer to the team.

“We play a lot of fast-paced games in our backs sessions and because the games are fast-paced, you have to make those decisions quickly. Sometimes that means we fail but you can’t get better if everything goes perfectly,” said Litchfield.

“Ultimately it’s those very competitive sessions, I think, that makes us as good as we are.”

Litchfield is in the minority in the Saints backline as a non-England international. That may not be for long the rate he is going. In some pretty illustrious company, he was voted Northampton’s players’ player of the season. For the time being though, the dynamic midfielder is the one that often goes under the radar when pundits are drooling over the cast of Saints’ stars.

“I’d obviously love to do what they’re doing and be representing my country but for me that comes from playing well for my club,” he said.

“If I’m maybe the low-key guy who doesn’t get the headlines all the time, then I don’t mind being that cog in the wheel. I’ll just keep it turning and offer what I offer to the team.”

A product of the Northampton academy who played a handful of games on loan at his home town of Bedford before he broke into the Saints side, Litchfield did play two seasons of Under-20s rugby for England. He made his debut against France in a side which also included his Saints team-mate Fin Smith.

“It was an incredible squad and we won the Grand Slam. Fin was part of that,” he said.

“Fin has been one of the best 10s in the league for the past few seasons, but people develop at different paces. He has hit such a high level of rugby so early. Maybe I’m a bit more of a late bloomer. I feel like I’ve only really started showing what I’m truly capable of this season.”

Litchfield has started 18 games in all this season, made another four appearances off the bench and scored six tries, making it his most productive campaign by some distance.

In the Prem alone he has made 12 line-breaks, beaten 25 defenders and made 379 post-contact metres this season.

My mum was quite a talented long-distance runner in her day, so a lot of the athleticism comes from her, not from the old man I’d say.

He is an impressive all-round package. At 6ft 1in and 15st 10lb (100kg), he has the defensive solidity but soft skills and an ability to run angles in attack too.

Rugby is in his blood. His younger brother Nathan is a centre for Bedford Athletic and his father Matt played too.

“My dad used to play tight-head prop for Bedford Swifts but very disappointingly for him I ended up in the backs, as did my brother Nathan, who plays for Bedford Athletic. I think he would have liked one of us to have been in the pack!” said Litchfield.

“My mum was quite a talented long-distance runner in her day, so a lot of the athleticism comes from her, not from the old man I’d say.”

While he can play on the wing, it is the No 13 jersey that he has made his own at Northampton.

England is the logical next step but there is a lot of competition, including his Saints team-mate Tommy Freeman who the national side – unlike Northampton – prefer as an outside centre.

Bristol’s Benhard Janse van Rensberg, who can play either 12 or 13, is about to add to it when he becomes eligible.

As an ambitious young English centre, you might expect that Litchfield would not be impressed with the call-up for the South African to the last England training camp. He is surprisingly sanguine about it though.

“That’s happened the whole way through England in the professional area – players have qualified through residency and gone on to win caps for England,” he said.

These high-profile weeks, when you get to the knockout stages, are the stages where you’ve got to turn it on to advertise yourself, I guess.

“He’s been one of the best centres in the league for the last few seasons and I don’t have any issues with him being selected. I feel like he’s qualified, so fair enough.

“All I can do is play as well as I can for Northampton and hopefully catch their eye like that.”

The play-offs, then, are his shop window.

“These high-profile weeks, when you get to the knockout stages, are the stages where you’ve got to turn it on to advertise yourself, I guess,” said Litchfield.

Leicester, on Friday night, at a sold-out Franklin’s Gardens, should be quite an occasion.

When the two rivals met at Northampton back in October, the Saints won 32-26 but Leicester exacted a comprehensive revenge a month ago at Welford Road.

Fire up the Quattro for a classic decider instalment.

For Litchfield, the key – amongst the fire and brimstone – is to remain calm.

“Obviously there’s a bit more on a semi-final knockout game but realistically it’s the same game of rugby that we’ve played the whole season,” he said.

“There will be a bit of pressure but we’ll just take it as another chance to put our best foot forward in front of our fans.”

Best foot forward has tended to get the job done for Northampton this season – and in spectacular fashion.