England star whose ‘sky’s the limit’ makes ‘no-brainer’ decision on his playing future
Tommy Freeman and George Furbank hold the Premiership trophy aloft.
England international Tommy Freeman has pledged his future to Premiership champions Northampton Saints for the foreseeable future in a major boost for the club.
The 23-year-old has been a mainstay in the Saints line-up of late and has made 83 appearances thus far, scoring 215 points in that period in the Black, Green and Gold.
Able to play at wing, full-back or centre, his form saw him recognised with an England call-up as he’s also impressed on the Test scene with 11 caps to his name.
Always improving
“Staying on for more at Saints was really a no-brainer for me,” he said. “This club has been my home for the last six years, and I feel really settled here in Northampton.
“The fans are unbelievable week in, week out, and make cinch Stadium the best place in the league to play rugby.
“The coaching set-up at the club is brilliant as well. I feel like I’m always improving here, all my skills are developing all the time, and every coach here is trying to make you a better player every day you come in. That’s only going to help me and the team moving forwards, so I know this is the right place for me to stay and achieve all my goals.
“I love the lads within our group; last season was obviously an incredible time for all of us, but we’re a really young squad so I’m excited to see what lies ahead, and what we can achieve together over the next few years in Northampton.”
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Freeman is part of a group of consistent performers in the Northampton backline as the likes of George Furbank, Ollie Sleightholme, Fraser Dingwall, Rory Hutchinson, Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell have all been outstanding in recent seasons.
The hard-working outside back, who put pen to paper on his first professional contract with the Saints ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, has gone from strength to strength and was hugely influential in last term’s Premiership-winning success.
Freeman scored 14 tries in 2023/24 including one in the final against Bath at Twickenham and director of rugby Phil Dowson is thrilled to have secured his playing future.
“Tommy’s an incredible player whose improvement over the last few years has been remarkable. We saw throughout last season, and also on the New Zealand tour with England, how good he can be,” he praised.
“He can make a massive difference for us – he’s a genuine gamebreaker – and we’re delighted to keep him on board at Saints.”
He added: “He’s not only an exceptional athlete, but when you combine that size, speed and skill level with his natural competitiveness and optimism around how he wants to play the game, it’s a really explosive mix.
Ton of X-factor
“He’s always willing to try things, he’s not perturbed by making errors, and that is what makes him so dangerous on the pitch – and very fun to watch as well. He’s still only 23 so the sky’s the limit really for him.
“As well as having a ton of X-factor, Tommy’s got a lot of resilience and has shown that over the last year or so in his behaviour. He’s got an inner steel; he didn’t make the World Cup squad but came roaring back and proved a point with his performances, working on all the elements of his game that he needed to earn another shot with England. He’s taken that with both hands now, and that’s a credit to him and his personality.”
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