Tag: Northampton

Shepherd Threatens to Sue Northampton

Cameron Shepherd, the full back for the Australian international rugby team has threatened to sue Aviva Premiership Rugby Union club the Northampton Saints for apparently pulling out of an agreement to sign him. The club made a formal announcement back in May that the 28 year old Australian would be joining the side after being given a three year deal at Franklin’s Gardens.

However, earlier in August, they a announced that they have pulled out of the deal, and cited fitness and health concerns and fellow Aviva Premiership side the Sale Sharks swooped for his signature. And now, the agent of Shepherd has come out with a statement that he was absolutely appalled at the behavior of the club towards him. According to reports, the player’s suspect left ankle made the club skeptical about moving for his signature and this ultimately led the Northampton Saints to call the deal off.

And his agent clarified that his agent has taken the expert opinion of leading orthopedic surgeons in the country as well as that of the doctors at his former club Western Force and according to them, the consensus was that there is absolutely nothing wrong with his left ankle. The statement further added that since then, Shepherd has undergone a medical and was deemed fit enough for the Sale Sharks to sign him and this puts lots of holes in the theories conjured up by The Saints.

At the time of calling off the deal with him, Jim Mallinder, the Director of Rugby of the Northampton Saints had stated that the club was not certain that he would be able to handle the rigors of a long and tough season with the club; but the statement of Shepherd and his agent show that there might still be a twist to the tale.

,

Kudos Tie-up with Northampton Saints

Kudos, the events caterer, has put pen to paper on a £ 12 million contract with the Aviva Premiership Rugby Union side the Northampton Saints for the next 7 years. The deal will see the catering giants take over the stadium hospitality as well as the public catering services at The Jimmies’ Franklin’s Gardens Stadium, starting from the 2012/13 season. This is one of the most lucrative deals that will see The Saints become one of the top earning sides in the division alongside the likes of Saracens FC and Harlequins FC as they have gone a long way in securing a safe future for the club in terms of finances.

Kudos, which is owned by Crown Group, will be providing food during the home matches to the hospitality suites, corporate boxes, bars as well as the public retail outlets as part of their match day services. Moreover, they will also look after all the catering services as well as venue management at non-match day programs which includes private parties, corporate events at the events’ space and conference centre of the stadium.

According to Jon Pryce, the Managing Director of Kudos, the catering giant is absolutely thrilled at being able to secure with the Northampton Saints and they are looking forward to providing the best culinary as well as retail expertise to the club’s Franklin’s Gardens Stadium. The stadium is currently under a redevelopment project which will see new lounges, bars as well as conference facilities installed inside the stadium as part of a multi-million pound package.

Allan Robson, the Chief Executive Officer of the Northampton Saints also expressed his excitement at the prospect of partnering one of the biggest names in the culinary industry in England and was looking forward to a long and successful relationship with the company.

,
[Top]

Harrison Targets Saxons Spot

Teimana Harrison, the highly rated youngster in the playing roster of the Aviva Premiership side the Northampton Saints has made clear his decision to play for the English national team in the near future.

Originally hailing from Opitiki, a small village town in New Zealand, the 19 year old has his eyes firmly set on a berth in The Saxons squad after his breakthrough season for The Jimmies earned him plaudits from all sections of the game in England. The youngster broke into the first team of The Saints in the business end of the season after he impressed the management with his performance while playing for the Wanderers.

The teenager swapped his motherland to play for The Jimmies in the Aviva Premiership after the club captain Dylan Hartley recommended the player to recruitment and development manager Dusty Hare. The youngster had caught the eye of Hartley as he had seen him perform prior to the kick off of the Rugby World Cup in his homeland. And since his arrival, it was not only Hartley who was blown away by his performances but also the entire Northampton Saints management who saw him put up some powerful performances for the second side.

And now that he has made the breakthrough into the first team, Harrison is hoping to nail down a regular spot in the first 15 and knows that this will earn him a spot in The Saxons lineup in a year or so. And the Northampton Saints are also eager to hold on to him for a long time as it has been revealed by team boss Jim Mallinder that the club has already secured his services for this year.

Now that they have tied him up, it’s worth watching if The Jimmies turn him into a world class player.

, ,
[Top]

Northampton Saints 31-24 Leeds Carnegie – Aviva Premiership Rugby Highlights Round 22 | 07-05-11

, , , , , , , , , ,
[Top]

NORTHAMPTON SIGN STEPHENSON

Aviva Premiership side the Northampton Saints have always been known as a side that invests in youth and that was once again proved when Jim Mallinder signed youngster Tom Stephenson for the senior academy of the club, dubbing him as a player for the future. The Saints have also confirmed on their website that New Zealand winger Teimana Harrison, who recently came off the bench for the club against the London Wasps for his first game for The Saints as well as Jack Allcock, another winger, will also join the senior academy of the club at the start of the next season.

The 17 year old Stephenson was with the Wanderers last season and he was a mainstay of the club’s reserve side. He is being considered as a future captain of the Scotland rugby team and is currently captaining the country’s Under – 18 side and has shown immense maturity and strength that will fool anyone about his age.

According to Mallinder, the boss of the Northampton Saints, Tom Stephenson has been a standout performer for his Wanderers side as well as the England national team in the Under – 18 division and it was his outstanding performances that make him one of the best performances and a signing for the future for The Saints. Mallinder also added that in his very short stint with the senior academy of the club, he has impressed the coaches immensely who are already pinning their hopes on the youngster as a potential superstar to lead the club to the top in a few years’ time.

The Northampton Saints are considered as a club with immense potential and it is only a matter of time that they translate that potential to trophies and it with Stephenson on board, the future looks all the more bright for the side.

,
[Top]

Northampton v Leicester 2011 …. great fight!

, , , , ,
[Top]