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Son of ex-England flyhalf exits Northampton Saints mid-season
By Ian Cameron
Northampton Saints have confirmed that fly-half James Grayson is set to depart the club after this weekend's clash against Exeter Chiefs to pursue a playing opportunity in Japan's Rugby League One.
The 25-year-old No.10 leaves behind a considerable legacy at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, having made a significant impact in his 92 appearances for the Black, Green, and Gold.
During his tenure, the son of former England standoff Paul Grayson scored nine tries and contributed an impressive 572 points off the tee, amassing a total of 617 points.
“Without doubt this was a really difficult decision for me to make,” said Grayson. “I’ve grown up with a lot of the lads in the playing group. They’re my brothers, and it’s going to be tough to move away, but I’ll cherish every memory I made with them on and off the pitch.
“Ultimately, this is a decision driven by my desire to play more rugby, more regularly. As a professional, all you want is to be able to go out there and play on a Saturday afternoon, so I am making this move to try and further my rugby career – it is an opportunity that I felt like I couldn’t really turn down.”
Grayson's journey with Northampton began in the summer of 2016 when he joined the senior squad after progressing through the Academy system at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens. His debut in the 2017/18 season opener against Saracens marked the beginning of a stellar career with the Saints. His outstanding contributions didn't go unnoticed, as he clinched the Young Player of the Season award at the end of his debut campaign.
“Jimmy came to us not long ago to say an opportunity had presented itself for him to move to Japan, and we didn’t want to stand in his way,” said Saints’ Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson. “We understand why, at this point of his career, he wants to move away from Northampton in search of more regular playing time. Jimmy’s an incredibly competitive character, and wants the chance to show what he can do on the pitch more often.
“We are confident in the cover we have at fly-half to allow Jimmy to move on. He’s been an incredible professional while he’s been in and out of the team, with an unwavering work ethic in training to help the whole squad to progress.
“He’s a popular guy within the group, he’s been a Saint since he was 12 years old, he’s done some wonderful charity work with our Foundation, and he’s Northampton through and through – so of course we wish him well moving forward for this new challenge in Japan.”
The fly-half played a crucial role in Northampton Wanderers' back-to-back Premiership Rugby A League successes in 2017 and 2018. Simultaneously, he represented England Under-20s in both the Six Nations and World Rugby Championships during those years.
However, it was the 2018/19 season that truly catapulted Grayson into the limelight, making 18 appearances across all competitions. His standout performances earned him the Premiership Rugby Cup’s Breakthrough Player award, and he played a pivotal role in Northampton's triumphant campaign to lift the trophy.
Grayson's impact continued into the 2019/20 season, where he emerged as the top scorer for the club with an impressive 142 points. His proficiency from the kicking tee saw him surpass the 500-point milestone for the Saints in April 2022. Notably, a long-range penalty in a one-point victory over Harlequins proved crucial in securing Northampton's spot in the Premiership semi-finals that season.
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So I'm going to propose a format, and let me first say 2 things. One, I know why it would never work, why many if not most of the parties involved would not want it. Two, I'm not even sure I'd want it. I'm just going to put it out there, and you all can tell me why it's awful and I'm an idiot.
So, there are 40 teams across the 3 top tier leagues of Europe & Africa. Merge all 3 leagues into a 3 tiered competition with pro/rel, plus a cup competition. Here's how it'd work.
For the league set up, you'd have a top division and second division each with 16 teams. You'd then have a third division of 8 teams. Both Divisions 1 and 2 operate kind of like the URC now in that they are split into 4 groups of 4. In each division, the 4 group winners would play in the playoffs, and the 4 group losers would play in a reverse playoff. In the reverse playoff the two losers of round 1 would then play each other. The loser of that would be automatically relegated, and the winner would play the playoff runner up of the division below for to either stay up, or also be relegated.
Divisions 1 & 2 would each play an 18 match schedule while Division 3 would play a 14 match schedule. Part of the downside of being in Division 3. However, television money would be split equally among all 40 clubs to protect Division 3 clubs from going belly up. Each tier would also have a progressively higher salary cap.
Aside from the league, there'd also be a cup competition. All 40 clubs, regardless of division, would be divided into 8 groups of 5. Each team plays each of their group mates once, for 2 home matches, 2 away matches. Each group winner, plus the next 8 best teams regardless of group, advance to the round of 16 to start knockouts.
This means, every club between the league and cup competitions, would play a minimum of 18 matches (division 3) per season, and a maximum of 28 (if you won the double).
I understand frankly, why many parties involved would be opposed to this, most strongly of course, the French, who really don't need to tinker with their domestic set up at all. Again, I'm not even sure I'd like it in reality. Just a thought I had, wanted to put out there.
Go to commentsCan't say I'm surprised to find out that you're a peeping tom.
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