Rory Hutchinson's award-winning form is rewarded by Saints

Northampton have convinced Rory Hutchinson that his future is best served at the Saints, the in-form centre signing a contract extension to stay at the club for next season. 

The 23-year old, whose form in recent weeks saw him named February’s Gallagher Premiership player of the month, has made 28 appearances to date since making his debut against Leicester in 2015.

After recovering from an early-season injury this term, the former Scotland under-20 international has scored three tries in eight starts and is hopeful he can take his game to a new level with Saints.

“This was a really straightforward decision for me to make and I’m very excited to be staying in Northampton,” he said.

“I’m enjoying my rugby at the moment; obviously I had limited opportunities at the start of the season because of my injury, but I’ve loved playing in recent weeks and I’m certain Franklin’s Gardens is the best place for me to develop even further.

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“I’ve worked hard to get to this point and I’m learning all the time here from the coaches and a group of really gifted players around me.

“Sam (Vesty) and Chris (Boyd), in particular, have really helped me to move my game forwards. They have opened my mind up to what is possible for me on the pitch, and I’m really confident this squad can achieve a lot over the next few years.”

Born in Cambridge, Hutchinson joined Saints academy from Shelford before breaking into the first-team squad during the 2016/17 season – his try against Exeter in his first club start won Northampton’s try of the season award.

Hutchinson has represented Scotland at both under-18s and under-20s level, playing in both the 2014 and 2015 World Rugby Under-20s World Cup and Six Nations competitions to become the joint most-capped Scotland under-20s player ever.

“We’re thrilled to have secured Rory’s signature,” said Boyd, Saints’ director of rugby. “He’s a very gifted footballer and works extremely hard to improve all aspects of his game.

“He was unlucky with injury at the start of this season, but after coming back he’s made a big impact and seeing how he has progressed in recent weeks is really pleasing for us.

“Keeping good young guys like Rory within our squad is really important to us and I’m very happy to see him sign on again.”