Northampton

History of Northampton Saints

Northampton Saints are officially known as the Northampton Rugby Football Club. However, when the side was first formed back in 1880, they were called Northampton St. James. They’ve retained their nickname, ‘The Saints’, ever since. 

Since the Northampton Saints rugby team began competing in the 1880s, the team has developed a fierce rivalry with Leicester Tigers. The so-called East Midlands Derby is always hotly contested and it's one of the fiercest rivalries in English rugby union.

Throughout the 20th century, the Northampton Saints rugby team competed well in local and national tournaments. In fact, the Northampton Rugby Club was only 20 years old when the first Saints player (a local farmer named Harry Weston) was awarded an England cap.

When rugby union became professional, the Saints were in a great position and challenged for honours almost immediately. They reached the Premiership in the 1996-97 season and in their third-ever season in the competition, they finished second. 

Since, the Northampton Saints rugby team has been highly-competitive in every competition and they've only ever been relegated from the Premiership once (in 2006-07). However, the very next season they were promoted from National Division One (now the RFU Championship) with a massive 143 points.

To date, Northampton Saints have won a host of honours. They captured the European Rugby Champions Cup in 1999-2000, the EPCR Challenge Cup twice and the Premiership Rugby title on two occasions, most recently in the 2023-24 season. 

As you may expect from the team’s successes, many illustrious players have featured in the Northampton Saints squad over the years. As a direct result of this, in 2004, the club established a Hall of Fame. As of 2025, 28 former players have been inducted, including Samoan Superstar Pat Lam and former England and Lions player Nick Beal. 

With a strong recent history, the current Northampton Saints squad is as star-studded as ever. The team is back to regularly reaching the knockout stages of both the Premiership and the European Rugby Champions Cup, so their next piece of major silverware will surely come soon.