"I feel very settled" – England back row Tom Pearson signs contract extension with Northampton Saints

10/09/2024 05:54 AM

Tom Pearson has committed his future to Northampton Saints, penning a contract extension to remain at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens beyond the current campaign.

The 24-year-old back row enjoyed a whirlwind first year in Black, Green and Gold, making 21 appearances across the 2023/24 season as Saints lifted the Gallagher Premiership trophy and reached the semi-finals of the Investec Champions Cup.

Pearson made his England Test debut in the 2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up match against Wales, and has the ambition of building upon his sole cap to date. Pearson was recently called up into the England training camp, as the preparations have begun for Steve Borthwick’s side for the upcoming Autumn Series.

Pearson has added another three appearances to his tally this season, and has scored seven tries so far for Northampton – including a memorable hat-trick against Aviron Bayonnais last season.

Pearson said: "I feel very settled here in Northampton. Last season was a whirlwind, but Saints is a place I feel I can really push on and develop. It's a place I've learnt loads already and somewhere I've really been enjoying playing rugby.

"We've got a very tight-knit bunch, a team that understands how they want to play, and coaching staff that want to support that.

"It's very exciting to be a part of this team, we've got a good young group where a lot of guys are a similar age to me with similar aspirations.

"The obvious ambition for us is to go all the way again and repeat our successes of last year, we want to put our name in the hat to win the Premiership again and I'm really excited to be a part of that.

"cinch Stadium is a brilliant place to play, I really enjoy running out here. It's by far one of the best pitches and the best atmospheres in the league. Saints' supporters are also amazing – we had some of our best performances at home last season, and that's no coincidence.

"It was an easy decision for me, to choose to stay somewhere like this, and I'm looking forward to running out at the Gardens in the seasons to come."

Saints' Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson, is delighted to be keeping the once-capped England international – who was called into Steve Borthwick's latest England training squad last week – in Northampton for the foreseeable future.

"We're thrilled that Tom's re-signed with us at Saints, and we think we've only really scratched the surface of what he's capable of," he said.

"His athleticism and skill level are through the roof, but so is his conscientiousness, his professionalism, and his desire to achieve great things.

"He's a fantastic part of our group as well, and I have a lot of respect for the way he manages himself through a training week to get to the best level of performance at the weekend.

"Tom's a really intelligent player, who thinks a lot about the decisions he makes on and off the pitch. He was very highly sought-after when he left London Irish, and rightly so, so we were delighted to sign him initially and we're delighted to be keeping him here now.

"We've spoken to him about leadership, and he's someone who can drive a level for us and lead via his actions and his performances. Tom's definitely a player who the others look to, who will take the fight to anyone, so we can't wait to see what he achieves in a Saints shirt over the next few years."

After signing for London Irish's Academy from Cardiff Metropolitan University, Pearson made 39 appearances for the Exiles during his first two seasons of professional rugby – scooping Irish's Young Player of the Year award in his debut campaign, before being named the Premiership's Breakthrough Player of the Season and the RPA's Young Player of the Season in 2022/23.

Pearson made the switch to Northampton last summer when London Irish were placed into administration, but went straight into England's Rugby World Cup training squad before arriving at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens. Despite missing out on final World Cup selection in 2023 with England, in Black, Green and Gold the back row went from strength to strength, claiming the man-of-the-match award in just his second outing for Saints as well as Northampton's Player of the Month prize later that month.

Pearson's trademark ball-carrying and hard-hitting defence caught the eye of England's coaches once more, and he was called into camp for the 2024 Six Nations and made a try-scoring appearance for England A back in February.

While injury disrupted the back end of Pearson's first season as a Saint, the flanker recovered to start in the semi-finals and Final of the Gallagher Premiership, with Saints overcoming Bath 25-21 at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham to become English champions for the second time in the Club's history.

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