George Furbank named Northampton Saints’ new Club Captain

Northampton Saints today confirm that George Furbank has been named as the Club’s new Captain by Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson.

The 27-year-old fullback led the men in Black, Green and Gold on multiple occasions during Saints’ title-winning campaign in 2023/24 – when Northampton lifted the Gallagher Premiership trophy for the second time in the Club’s history, and reached the semi-finals of the Investec Champions Cup.

Furbank’s overall record as Saints skipper is immaculate; the England international has captained Northampton to 12 wins from 12 matches so far. Last term, he made 22 appearances in Black, Green and Gold, scoring seven tries and adding a further 39 points to his tally from the kicking tee.

Having risen all the way through Northampton’s development pathway, signing his first professional contract in 2016, Furbank becomes the third successive Saints Academy graduate to lead the Club.

“It’s pretty surreal to be honest,” said Furbank. “It’s not something I ever thought I’d get the opportunity to do.

“There were a few boys in contention to be captain this season, but when Dows [Phil Dowson] told me I was buzzing, and so excited to tell my family as I knew how proud they were going to be.

“I obviously had a bit of a taste of it last year, when Luds [Lewis Ludlam] was injured, and that gave me a sense of what it’s going to be like.

“Last season I had Courtney [Lawes], Luds and Sue [Alex Waller] – who was Club Captain when I first broke into the first team – to lean on. They were all incredible leaders in their own way, and I learned a lot from them.

“But I’m lucky that I can depend on plenty of guys in this squad too; the likes of Fin Smith, Alex Coles, Fraser Dingwall, Sam Graham and so on – we’ve got a lot of leaders now in this group. We’re all a similar age and have similar experience, so I’ll lean on them as well when I need to.

“But to be named Club Captain is a massive privilege and an honour. I’m excited for the new season and ready to crack on again.”

Furbank made his Saints debut in November 2017 in an Anglo-Welsh Cup clash at Exeter Chiefs, but became a first-team regular the following season as he helped the men in Black, Green and Gold lift the inaugural Premiership Rugby Cup.

A call-up to the England squad and a Test debut against France in the 2020 Six Nations would follow, and the fullback has gone from strength to strength at both Club and international level since then – bringing up a century of Saints appearances in September 2023 against Bath Rugby, and taking his tally of international caps to 11.

Furbank will now become the 66th captain of Northampton Saints since the Club’s inception in 1880, and Director of Rugby Phil Dowson believes the fullback’s attributes on and off the pitch will stand him in great stead for the new role.

He said: “We’re really pleased for George. He’s a top-quality player and he’s been a supporter of the Club since he was a young lad coming to watch games with his dad. He sat in the stands watching the 2014 Final, he played in the 2024 Final, and now he’s captain of the side – it’s great to see.

“The way George led last year really was noticeable. He came in for preseason frustrated at not being included in England’s World Cup squad, but showed a huge amount of maturity to use that disappointment to push himself, and others around him, to get better.

“He captained the side a number of times last season, led very well, and he’s got the respect of the whole playing group as well as a really good relationship with the coaching staff.

“George was one of the names who was a clear candidate for the role, but there are lots of players within the squad who are excellent leaders too, and will direct our game from a technical point of view. People like Fin Smith at fly-half has a big role to play, Alex Coles within the lineout space, Curtis Langdon and Robbie Smith as our hookers.

“Fraser Dingwall is very important too in terms of his messaging, his calmness and his confidence within the group, while guys like Chunya Munga and Sam Graham have shown really strong leadership calibre this preseason.

“So, George will have a solid group around him, and I know he and the rest of the squad are excited to get going again this weekend.”