Northampton Saints

Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The club plays in the Gallagher PREM, England's top division of rugby union. It was formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", which gave it the nickname Saints from the 1880s. The team plays its home games at the 15,249 capacity Franklin's Gardens, in the St James area in the west of the town. Since the early 1900s, the team has played in black, green and gold colours. At the conclusion of the 2025–26 Premiership Rugby season, Saints finished top of the league and won the Premiership final against Exeter Chiefs, giving them their second title in three years and third overall success in the competition. Additionally they have qualified to compete in the 2026–27 European Rugby Champions Cup. The current director of rugby is Phil Dowson, who was promoted to director of rugby in the summer of 2022. To date, Saints have won eight major titles. They were European Champions in 2000, and English Champions in 2014, 2024 and 2026. They have also won the secondary European Rugby Challenge Cup twice, in 2009 and 2014, the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2010, and the inaugural Premiership Rugby Cup in 2019. Additionally, the Saints have won the Second Division title three times; in 1990, 1996 and 2008. The Saints' biggest rivals are Leicester Tigers. The East Midlands Derby is one of the fiercest rivalries in English rugby union.