Saints hope end of an era can be a new beginning

New Northampton Saints captain George Furbank has big boots to fill following the departure of last season's club captain Lewis Ludlam

For most Northampton Saints supporters, that weekend in early June has a dreamlike, ethereal quality.

It was an end to a season that felt too good to be true. A second Premiership title proved the perfect finish for those three great stalwarts of the club - Courtney Lawes, Alex Waller and Lewis Ludlam.

An afternoon of agony and tension – totally unenjoyable until Christophe Ridley blew the final whistle at Twickenham to signal their 25-21 victory over Bath.

And then there was the party it unleashed – starting in the bars at Franklin’s Gardens that night and spilling over into the Sunday, as the streets of Northampton were lined with supporters cheering their heroes in open-top buses.

It was a stunning end to a joyful campaign, with Saints at times playing the most brilliant attacking rugby with a bit of extra bite in defence which saw them home.

But they don’t want to talk much about last season now at the Gardens.

Try to ask director of rugby Phil Dowson or head coach Sam Vesty about it and they’ll quickly move the conversation on. That’s history, they’ll tell you. Great teams win two in a row.

And although when you go back to Franklin’s Gardens there’s part of you that’s taken back to those heady days of last season, you’re also struck by what’s missing.

Lawes, Waller and Ludlam were huge figures on and off the pitch at the club. As was Paul Hill, Alex Moon and others. It’s an awful lot of experience that has gone.

Courtney Lawes with the Premiership trophy at Twickenham after captaining Saints to the title on his final appearance for the club

A different style of leadership

New players have been brought in – mostly in the pack. Australia international flanker Josh Kemeny has looked impressive in pre-season, as have former Saracens Callum Hunter-Hill and Tom West.

There are also high hopes that Henry Pollock will continue his remarkable rise, after a spectacular summer with the England Under-20s, as he starred in their World Cup triumph in South Africa.

Saints are, however, keen to remind us the talented flanker is only 19 with a great deal to learn about the game.

The backs who kept everyone at the Gardens so entertained last year are largely the same and there’s a feeling that there’s still much to come from such a young unit.

But the leadership will be hard to fill. Lawes, Waller and Ludlam especially were inspirational. There’s no-one at the club who’ll be able to deliver such heartfelt, rabble-rousing speeches as Ludlam.

There are still plenty of leaders within the squad, but it will be a different style under new captain George Furbank, with trusted lieutenants such as Fraser Dingwall, Fin Smith and Alex Coles.

Henry Pollock enjoyed World Cup success with England Under-20s over the summer, as they beat France in the final in South Africa

Lessons from the past

A decade ago, Saints finished top of the Premiership in the season that followed their first title.

But there was a sense that some momentum had been lost in the second half of the campaign and when they were beaten by Saracens in the semi-final, it was not entirely a surprise.

Jim Mallinder’s great team began to unravel. They finished fifth the following season, then seventh and ninth.

There’s a determination at Saints to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

The key difference is the stage of the journey the club appears to be on this time. It still feels earlier in the development of this team.

There’s so much more the likes of Smith, Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme have to offer – the same can be said of the coaching group.

Bath will be desperate to make amends this season. Exeter and Harlequins will be strong too. Leicester will surely be reignited with Michael Cheika in charge?

Saints won’t give you any predictions. The only target they will have set is another top two finish to give them a precious home semi-final.

And although the competition will be as fierce as ever, there’s every reason to believe that this is achievable once more for this exciting young team.