Latest news with #PhilDowson
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Northampton Saints sign Coventry winger Martin
Northampton Saints finished eighth in the 2024-25 Premiership after winning the title the season before [Getty Images] Premiership side Northampton Saints have signed winger James Martin from Coventry. The 25-year-old has made 82 Coventry appearances, scoring 44 tries, since signing for the Championship side in 2019. "I'm incredibly excited to join one of the very best teams in Europe," he told the club website. Advertisement "Saints' back three is stacked with talent, and there are internationals and Lions throughout the squad, so I'm looking forward to getting into the environment and working with them." Martin faced Northampton twice in last season's Premiership Rugby Cup, scoring a try when Coventry lost 50-23 to Saints in February. "He's been a standout player in the Championship over the past couple of seasons, leading the try-scoring charts for Coventry and showing consistently that he's an excellent finisher," said Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson. "He's quick, strong, and a smart operator on the wing who showed when we played Coventry last season that he can beat defenders and create opportunities out of nothing. Advertisement "He's hungry to prove himself at the next level, and when we spoke to him, it was clear that he's ambitious and wants to challenge himself in a Premiership environment. That mindset is so important to us."
BBC News
05-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Northampton Saints sign Coventry winger Martin
Premiership side Northampton Saints have signed winger James Martin from 25-year-old has made 82 Coventry appearances, scoring 44 tries, since signing for the Championship side in 2019."I'm incredibly excited to join one of the very best teams in Europe," he told the club website., external"Saints' back three is stacked with talent, and there are internationals and Lions throughout the squad, so I'm looking forward to getting into the environment and working with them."Martin faced Northampton twice in last season's Premiership Rugby Cup, scoring a try when Coventry lost 50-23 to Saints in February."He's been a standout player in the Championship over the past couple of seasons, leading the try-scoring charts for Coventry and showing consistently that he's an excellent finisher," said Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson."He's quick, strong, and a smart operator on the wing who showed when we played Coventry last season that he can beat defenders and create opportunities out of nothing."He's hungry to prove himself at the next level, and when we spoke to him, it was clear that he's ambitious and wants to challenge himself in a Premiership environment. That mindset is so important to us."
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Northampton sign South African lock Van der Mescht
Northampton Saints have signed South African lock Juan John 'JJ' van der Mescht Gardens from French club Stade 26-year-old made 75 appearances for the Top 14 side in his four seasons in der Mescht, who is a former South Africa Under-20 international, started his career on home soil with the Durban-based was there that he worked with Northampton scrum coach Jaco Pienaar."JJ's potential is through the roof," Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson told the club website., external"As well as his obvious physical attributes, he can really play ball – Jaco joked that JJ is a fly-half trapped in a second-row's body. He's also capable of making big plays which can turn matches, like charging down a kick and sprinting in for a 50-metre try when we played them in January, for example." Van der Mescht said that he is "hungry to keep improving" and hopes to now take his "game to the next level"."I have ambitions to play for the Springboks one day, but I know that starts with improving and performing well for Saints – and that's a challenge I'm really excited about," he said.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cotgreave hat-trick gives Gloucester win over Northampton but no playoff berth
Gloucester did their part. A top-four finish and a place in the playoffs remained tantalisingly within reach for George Skivington's side on the final day, but they didn't just need a win: they also required one of Bristol, Sale and Leicester above them to falter. It wasn't to be. Seven tries in a rousing performance, including a hat-trick for the elusive 19-year-old wing Jack Cotgreave, against a much-changed Northampton delighted their relentlessly passionate fans. Ultimately it meant finishing fifth. It will be Bath, plus the aforementioned three, to fight it out for the Premiership title. Advertisement Related: Ibitoye double fires Bristol past Harlequins to clinch playoff tie at Bath The Saints remain the champions for now and Phil Dowson's 14 changes felt like a suitably low-key way to sign off on a disappointing title defence. They have been injury-plagued and hardly helped by players frequently departing for international duty. Still they produced one of the more memorable performances of recent years by edging out Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final four weeks ago. They came up short against Bordeaux in Cardiff seven days ago and all four of their British & Irish Lions representatives – Fin Smith, Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell and Tommy Freeman – were absent for this season finale. Music to Gloucester's ears with a playoff berth potentially on the table: official statistics gave them a 34% chance of the top four, and mathematically speaking, there was even a shot at a home semi-final. In a perfect world, perhaps, the Premiership's final day would feature a tense scrap to avoid relegation as well as a pulsating playoff race: not to mention a properly funded, healthy second tier packed with clubs snapping at the heels of the elite. Advertisement That feels like an impossible dream in English rugby (blame the Rugby Football Union, not the clubs) and Dowson's recently stated fear of the competition collectively 'sleepwalking' to another bankruptcy was right on the money, if that is the correct phrase. Hype up a congested playoff race all you like, the finances of the clubs remain in a parlous state, and there is no sign of it changing. Taking the positives, though, there was nothing wrong with the on-field product. The 6ft 4in Cotgreave had scored on his Premiership debut against Newcastle last time out, and crossed three times in the first half alone, although one of those was disallowed for a foot in touch. His first score came after three minutes, converted by Santiago Carreras, only for tries by Northampton's Tom Pearson and Tom Litchfield to demonstrate that the visitors fancied making a game of it. The second row Ed Prowse, captaining Northampton for the first time, was forced off on 17 minutes after an accidental head contact before Cotgreave's flying effort in the corner was disallowed. There was no doubt over another impressively pacy finish on the same wing, by the same player, on 25 minutes. Then, when Christian Wade smartly intercepted a pass around halfway on the Gloucester right, his prodigious pace made the breakaway finish seem straightforward. Wonderful work by the lock Freddie Clarke, skilfully scooping up a loose ball and offloading, soon sent the quicksilver scrum-half Tomos Williams cantering in for the bonus point. It was 22-14 at half-time: the only problem? Bristol led Harlequins 26-12, having run in four tries, with Leicester and Sale also set fair. Advertisement Northampton came out firing. The scrum-half Jonny Weimann forced his way over eight minutes after the break and when Hutchinson confidently stroked over a sweet conversion, his third of the afternoon, there was just a point in it. Gloucester's response was immediate, literally: from the restart Carreras's silky show-and-go set up Cotgreave for his hat-trick. Seb Atkinson's score made it six tries, and was met with one of the day's biggest cheers. Order restored for the Shed faithful. Iakopo Mapu's try for Saints cut the lead to 10 before Wade's second, the game's final act, sent the fans wild. But for Gloucester, the playoffs will have to wait. 'I just hope we can follow up this season, that's what it's about,' remarked a fan as the train from London pulled into Gloucester station an hour or so before kick-off. A sentiment doubtless shared by all those who follow the once-mighty Cherry-and-Whites.
The Guardian
31-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Cotgreave hat-trick gives Gloucester win over Northampton but no playoff berth
Gloucester did their part. A top-four finish and a place in the playoffs remained tantalisingly within reach for George Skivington's side on the final day, but they didn't just need a win: they also required one of Bristol, Sale and Leicester above them to falter. It wasn't to be. Seven tries in a rousing performance, including a hat-trick for the elusive 19-year-old wing Jack Cotgreave, against a much-changed Northampton delighted their relentlessly passionate fans. Ultimately it meant finishing fifth. It will be Bath, plus the aforementioned three, to fight it out for the Premiership title. The Saints remain the champions for now and Phil Dowson's 14 changes felt like a suitably low-key way to sign off on a disappointing title defence. They have been injury-plagued and hardly helped by players frequently departing for international duty. Still they produced one of the more memorable performances of recent years by edging out Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final four weeks ago. They came up short against Bordeaux in Cardiff seven days ago and all four of their British & Irish Lions representatives – Fin Smith, Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell and Tommy Freeman – were absent for this season finale. Music to Gloucester's ears with a playoff berth potentially on the table: official statistics gave them a 34% chance of the top four, and mathematically speaking, there was even a shot at a home semi-final. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion In a perfect world, perhaps, the Premiership's final day would feature a tense scrap to avoid relegation as well as a pulsating playoff race: not to mention a properly funded, healthy second tier packed with clubs snapping at the heels of the elite. That feels like an impossible dream in English rugby (blame the Rugby Football Union, not the clubs) and Dowson's recently-stated fear of the competition collectively 'sleepwalking' to another bankruptcy was right on the money, if that is the correct phrase. Hype up a congested playoff race all you like, the finances of the clubs remain in a parlous state, and there is no sign of it changing. Taking the positives, though, there was nothing wrong with the on-field product. The 6ft 4in Cotgreave had scored on his Premiership debut against Newcastle last time out, and crossed three times in the first half alone, although one of those was disallowed for a foot in touch. His first score came after three minutes, converted by Santiago Carreras, only for tries by Northampton's Tom Pearson and Tom Litchfield to demonstrate that the visitors fancied making a game of it. The second row Ed Prowse, captaining Northampton for the first time, was forced off on 17 minutes after an accidental head contact before Cotgreave's flying effort in the corner was disallowed. There was no doubt over another impressively pacy finish on the same wing, by the same player, on 25 minutes. Then, when Christian Wade smartly intercepted a pass around halfway on the Gloucester right, his prodigious pace made the breakaway finish seem straightforward. Wonderful work by the lock Freddie Clarke, skilfully scooping up a loose ball and offloading, soon sent the quicksilver scrum-half Tomos Williams cantering in for the bonus point. It was 22-14 at half-time: the only problem? Bristol led Harlequins 26-12, having run in four tries, with Leicester and Sale also set fair. Northampton came out firing. The scrum-half Jonny Weimann forced his way over eight minutes after the break and when Hutchinson confidently stroked over a sweet conversion, his third of the afternoon, there was just a point in it. Gloucester's response was immediate, literally: from the restart Carreras's silky show-and-go set up Cotgreave for his hat-trick. Seb Atkinson's score made it six tries, and was met with one of the day's biggest cheers. Order restored for the Shed faithful. Iakopo Mapu's try for Saints cut the lead to 10 before Wade's second, the game's final act, sent the fans wild. But for Gloucester, the playoffs will have to wait. 'I just hope we can follow up this season, that's what it's about,' remarked a fan as the train from London pulled into Gloucester station an hour or so before kick-off. A sentiment doubtless shared by all those who follow the once-mighty Cherry-and-Whites.
