Fraser Dingwall pens new contract with Northampton Saints

Northampton Saints are delighted to confirm that Fraser Dingwall has signed a new contract with the Club.

The English centre has notched up 115 appearances in Black, Green and Gold so far at just 24 years of age, scoring 23 tries along the way for a personal points tally of 115 for Saints.

Dingwall first linked up with Northampton a decade ago, progressing through the junior and then senior Academy ranks at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

He made his full debut against Leicester Tigers at Twickenham Stadium in 2018, won the Club’s Young Player of the Season award in 2019/20 after breaking into the first team, and has captained Saints on several occasions since first leading out the side in 2022.

More personal accolades followed in 2022/23 as Dingwall claimed the Gallagher Premiership’s Player of the Month and Try of the Month awards in February, before also winning the cinch Supporters’ Player of the Season and MPA Try of the Season awards at the conclusion of the campaign, and being named in the Premiership’s Dream Team.

Now a key cog in Saints’ back-line and one of the Club’s most dependable players, Dingwall has penned a new deal at the Gardens and is delighted to remain part of Northampton’s ever-maturing squad.

“I’m really excited to have extended my time at Saints,” he said. “This is the Club that I grew up supporting, and I’ve been involved here since I was a 13-year-old in the Academy, so this is a place that is very special to my family and me.

“The group we have here is also special, both the players and the staff. I feel like, this year especially, we’re really pushing on towards winning some trophies. I’m also enjoying taking a leadership role within the squad and trying to give what I can to help the players around me.

“The coaching team here is really, really impressive and I couldn’t see anywhere else that I’d develop more as a player – you can see that in so many of the players that come into the environment (via the Academy or from other clubs) and make big improvements to their game.

“The coaches also have the mindset of trying to get better all the time. So, ultimately everyone is aligned around what we’re trying to do and every day in the environment is valuable, so I knew this was the best place to be to take the next step forward in my career.

“I want to play international rugby, and win trophies here with Saints. Those are the next steps for me and I’m pushing hard on both fronts. In Northampton, we’ve had a few years of being a group with ‘potential’, but we want to realise that now and we’re making good strides towards that.

“I’ve been around England training squads previously, and while when I first went into a camp, I wasn’t sure whether I was ready, I definitely feel like now I am in a great place to make that jump.”

Dingwall has earned international recognition during his time at the Gardens, representing Scotland up to Under-18 level before featuring for England’s Under-18 and Under-20s sides – captaining the Red Rose in 2019 during the Six Nations and World Rugby Under-20s Championships.

Since his first senior international call-up in 2020, Dingwall has been involved in several England camps and training squads. While the centre is yet to earn his first Test cap, Saints’ Director of Rugby Phil Dowson believes Dingwall has the ability to succeed at the very highest level, and is delighted to keep him at the Club for the foreseeable future.

He said: “Despite his age, Fraser is very much one of the senior players and a leader within our squad, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. He’s a really important part of the group and a lot of people look to Fraser both in terms of how he prepares himself and how he goes about playing the game.

“He’s a top-quality player, there’s no doubt about that; he reads the game brilliantly, he’s got great footwork at the line, and he’s able to make huge contributions on both sides of the ball.

“But what’s also so impressive about him is the way he looks after people, makes sure everyone is on the right track, and communicates with the coaches – all those elements are very important for us.

“The fact that he has been recognised internationally and picked in so many England training camps shows that he has the ability to play at that level already. It’s tough to break into international rugby, but I am confident Fraser can get there because of his ability to make all the players around him better.

“He creates space, does the unseen work, and talks to everyone in that backline to get them going in the right direction. He’s one of those players who will be hard to budge once he gets into an international shirt, because he is so influential to those around him.”