Saints look to get defense of their title underway

Josh Kemeny is set to become Saint #2090 on Friday evening, as Northampton Saints kick-off the 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership campaign against Bath Rugby (20 September, kick-off: 7.45pm). 

Phil Dowson’s men begin their title defence at the Recreation Ground, with the sides clashing for the first time since meeting in June’s Premiership Final – where Saints ran out 25-21 winners to lift the trophy for the first time in a decade.

Saints won 12 of their 18 league matches last term to finish top of the pile after the regular season, but lost out to Bath in this match in Round 18, and go in search of their first victory at the Rec since 2022. 

Kemeny – who joined Northampton this summer from Melbourne Rebels – will make his first official outing in Black, Green and Gold at blindside flanker after impressing in Saints’ two preseason clashes against Leinster Rugby and Bedford Blues, joining openside flanker Tom Pearson and No.8 Sam Graham in the back row on Friday. 

Saints’ front row is comprised of props Emmanuel Iyogun and Trevor Davison plus hooker Curtis Langdon for the first time this season, while locks Angus Scott-Young and Chunya Munga line up in the engine room behind them. 

In the backs, new club captain George Furbank leads the side from fullback in Bath, with James Ramm and last season’s Premiership top try-scorer Ollie Sleightholme on Northampton’s wings.

Rory Hutchinson and Fraser Dingwall, Scotland and England internationals respectively, partner in Saints’ centres on Friday, while scrum-half Tom James and England fly-half Fin Smith man Northampton’s half-back berths to round off the starting XV. 

Meanwhile there are set to be more Saints debutants on Friday, with Tom West, Luke Green and Callum Hunter-Hill all primed to enter the action from amongst the replacements in Bath – with the likes of Juarno Augustus and Tommy Freeman also named on Saints’ bench in Round 1. 

BATH RUGBY vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
Gallagher Premiership, Round 1
Friday 20 September, 2024
Recreation Ground
Kick-off: 7.45pm

15 George Furbank (c)
14 James Ramm
13 Fraser Dingwall
12 Rory Hutchinson
11 Ollie Sleightholme
10 Fin Smith
9 Tom James

1 Emmanuel Iyogun
2 Curtis Langdon
3 Trevor Davison
4 Angus Scott-Young
5 Chunya Munga
6 Josh Kemeny – Saint #2090
7 Tom Pearson
8 Sam Graham

Replacements:
16 Robbie Smith
17 Tom West – Northampton Saints debut
18 Luke Green – Northampton Saints debut
19 Callum Hunter-Hill – Northampton Saints debut
20 Juarno Augustus
21 Archie McParland
22 Toby Thame
23 Tommy Freeman

Not available for selection:
Emeka Atuanya, George Hendy, Tom Litchfield, Tom Lockett, Alex Mitchell and Burger Odendaal. 

Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant referees: Dan Jones and Jamie Leahy
No.4: Jonathan Healy
TMO: Tom Foley