Lewis Ludlam exit sees Saints captaincy handed to England teammate

England fullback George Furbank has been named the new club captain of the Gallagher Premiership champions Northampton Saints for the upcoming season.

The Saints saw some of their most experienced players leave Franklin's Gardens over the summer, including former captain Lewis Ludlam, who has joined Toulon.

Alongside the flanker, fellow legends Courtney Lawes and Alex Waller also left, who have both served as captains over the years.

In this power void that has been created in the Midlands, Phil Dowson has opted for the 27-year-old to take the reins.

This has been some year for Furbank so far professionally. Not only has he become a Premiership champion, but he has established himself as the incumbent fullback under Steve Borthwick for England.

The Furbank Saints era will begin with a repeat of last season's Premiership final against Bath at the Rec on September 20.

“It’s pretty surreal to be honest,” said Furbank. “It’s not something I ever thought I’d get the opportunity to do.

“There were a few boys in contention to be captain this season, but when Dows [Phil Dowson] told me I was buzzing, and so excited to tell my family as I knew how proud they were going to be.

“I obviously had a bit of a taste of it last year, when Luds [Lewis Ludlam] was injured, and that gave me a sense of what it’s going to be like.

“Last season I had Courtney [Lawes], Luds and Sue [Alex Waller] – who was club captain when I first broke into the first team – to lean on. They were all incredible leaders in their own way, and I learned a lot from them.

“But I’m lucky that I can depend on plenty of guys in this squad too; the likes of Fin Smith, Alex Coles, Fraser Dingwall, Sam Graham and so on – we’ve got a lot of leaders now in this group. We’re all a similar age and have similar experience, so I’ll lean on them as well when I need to.

“But to be named club captain is a massive privilege and an honour. I’m excited for the new season and ready to crack on again.”

Director of rugby Dowson added: “We’re really pleased for George. He’s a top-quality player and he’s been a supporter of the club since he was a young lad coming to watch games with his dad. He sat in the stands watching the 2014 Final, he played in the 2024 Final, and now he’s captain of the side – it’s great to see.

“The way George led last year really was noticeable. He came in for preseason frustrated at not being included in England’s World Cup squad, but showed a huge amount of maturity to use that disappointment to push himself, and others around him, to get better.

“He captained the side a number of times last season, led very well, and he’s got the respect of the whole playing group as well as a really good relationship with the coaching staff.

“George was one of the names who was a clear candidate for the role, but there are lots of players within the squad who are excellent leaders too, and will direct our game from a technical point of view. People like Fin Smith at fly-half has a big role to play, Alex Coles within the lineout space, Curtis Langdon and Robbie Smith as our hookers.

“Fraser Dingwall is very important too in terms of his messaging, his calmness and his confidence within the group, while guys like Chunya Munga and Sam Graham have shown really strong leadership calibre this preseason.

“So, George will have a solid group around him, and I know he and the rest of the squad are excited to get going again this weekend.”