Northampton Rugby

Aviva Premiership Rugby Football Union club the Northampton Saints have let Tom May, the veteran centre and Scott Armstrong, the former Leeds Carnegie winger to leave the club at the conclusion of the current season. The 34 year old May, who has two international caps for England, made 26 appearances for The Saints this season, scoring four tries in the process. Overall, May played 53 games in his two seasons at Franklin’s Gardens before being released. The experienced centre has had stints with the Newcastle Falcons as well as French side Toulon.

The 26 year old Armstrong, who joined the club back in 201, played 22 matches in his three years at the club but he only made a single appearance for the Northampton Saints this season in an LV=Cup loss to Harlequins FC. The Jimmies, who lost the Aviva Premiership play-off final to their bitter rivals the Leicester Tigers last weekend has released nine players, including the aforementioned pair with Jim Mallinder, the club’s Director of Rugby looking to build on the performances of this season and mount another challenge for silverware next time around.

According to Mallinder, if a team wants to be successful, then each and every player in the squad has to make a contribution. He mentioned that every single player he had in the squad this term did their best, be it in the first team or the second, be it in training or in the analysis room or even in the team meetings.

Mallinder also went on to add that he would like to thank all the players who will not be a part of the Northampton Saints side next season for their efforts and contributions in helping the club reach their first Aviva Premiership play off final, albeit they failed to win it.

Aviva Premiership Rugby Football Union club the Northampton Saints have refused to confirm they have clinched the deal to sign talented Welsh winger George North, despite the reports both in Wales and England suggesting that the youngster has decided to switch allegiances from the Scarlets to The Jimmies. The 20 year old has been linked to a cross Severn switch to the English club over the past one and half months and the Wales Rugby Union and the club has already been involved in a war of words over the future of the player.

North is one of the brightest young prospects to come out of the region in the last few years and was a key member of the Welsh side that won the Six Nations Championship in 2012 and 2013. But the Welsh rugby regions have struggling financially over the past couple of seasons and the WRU has accused the Scarlets of trying to make a profit by selling the player off to the Northampton Saints. The WRU has also accused the club of touting him to several high profile clubs all over Europe in order to spark a transfer tug of war.

However, the Welsh club has denied these claims from the WRU and has stated they had offered the player an improved three year deal to keep him at the club and the deal still stands. Since then, the WRU has invited all the four regions to a meeting as they attempt to thrash out a deal that will see players centrally contracted.

But it seems the player will already have signed with the Northampton Saints before the four regions sit down with the WRU for a meeting over securing the long term futures of the talents of the country to improve the game at home.