Saints have announced that five Senior Academy players have signed contracts to continue with the club.
Emeka Atuanya, Ewan Baker, Jake Garside, Ed Prowse, and Craig Wright have all signed contracts for the 2024/25 season.
The trio has made 26 appearances in black, green, and gold to date, and they will remain at Cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens after shining for the Saints and Bedford Blues this season.
The quintet raises the number of Saints re-signings to 20 for the 2023/24 season, with experience in the Gallagher Premiership, Premiership Rugby Cup, and Championship, as well as caps for England Under-18s and Under-20s.
EMEKA ATUANYA (seven appearances)
Lock Atuanya, who stands 6 feet 7 inches tall, joined the Saints’ Senior Academy before of the 2021/22 season.
He made his first appearance for the Saints later that season in the Mobbs Memorial Match against the British Army, before making his full debut against Saracens in October 2022.
The former Northampton School for Boys and Northampton Old Scouts forward has already garnered international recognition, representing England at the Under-18 level.
And Saints manager Phil Dowson is excited to watch how the 21-year-old progresses next season.
“Emeka is a player we wanted to keep because of the speed at which he has improved,” stated Dowson.
“He’s had a significant impact at Bedford Blues, notably in the latter half of last season and this year.
“He’s looked at ease and is playing at a good level in the Championship, establishing his reputation at Bedford, and in pre-season last summer, he was really competing hard and enjoying getting involved with our squad.
“His training level this season has also been outstanding, which is why we nominated him for the coaches’ player of the season award this year.
“He’s shown up week after week and worked hard to improve and propel the rest of the club ahead.
“Unfortunately, he picked up a shoulder injury with Bedford recently, but we’re looking forward to seeing how Emeka transitions and progresses, and we’ve got high hopes that he’ll get straight back into playing regularly when he returns from this injury.”
EWAN BAKER (one appearance)
Baker, who previously played at Lawrence Sheriff School and Daventry RFC, moved to full-back in Saints’ Under-18s after spending most of his junior rugby career as a fly-half.
He gained a scholarship at Stowe School, but despite a successful final season in the club’s Junior Academy, he was unable to compete in the Academy League final due to injuries.
The Saints saw enough of the full-back to offer him his first professional contract, and the teenager joined the club at the start of the season.
Baker, 19, earned his Premiership Rugby Cup debut in black, gold, and green earlier this season at Ealing Trailfinders, and he will want to build on that appearance as he goes on with Saints.
“Ewan is a great person to have in the environment, can play at centre or fullback, and he’s got a fantastic skillset too,” Dowson stated.
“We hope to see him spend more time with Bedford next year.
“Physically, he’s gained weight and become more stronger to meet the demands of professional rugby, and he doesn’t appear to be phased by anything.
“He gets stuck in, has some good touches, and trains hard – so he’s someone we’ve got really high hopes for.”
JAKE GARSIDE (nine appearances)
Garside, a scrum-half from Norfolk, has previously represented Norwich School and Wymondham RFC, as well as the Saints Academy, where he began at the Under-14 level before joining the Senior Academy for the 2021/22 season.
ED PROWSE (eight appearances)
Tighthead prop. Prowse’s path to the Saints’ squad was unique, since he was first released from Northampton’s Academy system in 2019.
The 23-year-old eventually made his way back into contention and impressed enough to be granted his first full-time contract in 2020.
CRAIG WRIGHT (one appearance)
Wright, 20, was a member of the club’s Under-18s team that reached the Premiership Rugby Academy League final in 2021/22, and he signed his first professional contract at the end of the season.
Wright, a co-captain at Felstead School, has played junior club rugby for Braintree RFC and recently achieved international honours with England Under-20s, starting three Under-20s Six Nations matches as England won the 2024 title.
