Premiership victory 'could help town become a city'

Saints chairman John White said the win had been achieved without a "bottomless pit" of money

The chairman of Northampton Saints has said the team's victory in the Premiership Rugby final could lead to the town getting its long-desired city status.

John White said the town of Northampton was "understated" and the win against Bath on Saturday and the celebrations that followed would enhance its reputation.

He told the BBC the trophy had been won despite strict controls being put on the team's finances.

He also paid tribute to the backroom staff who contributed to a historic season for the Saints.

The Northampton Saints team soaked up the atmosphere on Sunday as the town welcomed its victorious players home after their nail-biting 25-21 win over Bath.

The club chairman, a former Saints player himself and previous chief executive of Persimmon Homes, told the BBC the team had been on a "six-year journey" to the Premiership silverware.

He said: "It started with getting [Saints Director of Rugby) Chris Boyd over here knowing that he didn't have a bottomless pit to use.

"He addressed that by giving the academy boys a lot more playing time, and they're the stars of today, people like Furbs [George Furbank] and Fraser Dingwall."

Former Academy boy George Furbank kicks a conversion during Saturday's final

Mr White predicted great things for the team's home town as a result of the win: "Northampton is understated - it's had its issues but it's well serviced for elite sport.

"I believe that [local councils] are very supportive of elite sport and they've got the initiative to drive this place forward.

"We could get city status, and this could have started it, this process over the weekend."

Northampton has failed on three previous attempts to attain city status, most recently in 2022.

Mr White also highlighted that the victory had come despite "strict financial discipline" at the club "and that's why it's so satisfying to win because we haven't done it with an open chequebook".

Ollie Sleightholme touches down for the Saints during Saturday's final

The chairman paid tribute to some of the lesser-known staff at Franklin's Gardens who played their part in the success story.

"The players get the accolades and rightly so, but there's a lot of people behind the scenes who've worked tirelessly and put us where we are and I'm really proud of those people," he said.