Northampton Saints star backed to break into England squad and why Steve Borthwick should be taking notes
Northampton Saints hooker Craig Wright has been backed for England honours, after penning a new deal with the club
Northampton Saints hooker Craig Wright has been backed for senior Test honours in the near future, as he pens a new deal with the East Midlands club.
The Saints academy graduate has previously represented England at age-group level, helping the U20s secure the 2024 Six Nations title alongside the likes of Henry Pollock and Asher Opoku-Fordjour, but is yet to earn a senior call-up by Steve Borthwick.
The 21-year-old front-rower made his senior debut for the Saints against Ealing Trailfinders in 2023, and has since made 26 appearances for the club. He also featured off the bench in their Investec Champions Cup final defeat to Bordeaux Begles.
‘I also want to push as hard as I can for England selection’
“It was an easy decision for me to stay at Saints,” he said of his new deal, which will see him remain at Northampton for next season. “This is my home club, it’s where I grew up, and I’ve always felt a real connection to the place. I’m enjoying my rugby, I’m getting good minutes, and it just felt like the right environment for me to keep pushing on.
“I love being part of this group. The detail everyone brings makes such a difference, it lifts the whole standard. At lineout time, having guys like Alex Coles and Tom Lockett running things and spotting the tiny cues makes my job straightforward; hit the throw and get us playing. It’s a brilliant feeling when it all clicks.
“As a team, we’re in a strong position in both the PREM and Europe, and if we keep our consistency and keep driving standards, there’s no reason we can’t challenge for trophies and hopefully add another star to the badge.”
He also aired his own senior Test ambitions, detailing his dream to make the squad for the 2027 World Cup.
“Personally, I also want to push as hard as I can for England selection, he added. “That’s a dream for every player.
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“If I keep improving and performing for Saints, then hopefully I can put myself in the frame – and getting to the 2027 World Cup would be an unbelievable ambition to chase.”
Saints director of rugby, Phil Dowson, has also thrown his support behind the powerful front-rower to get himself an England cap in the near future.
“Craig has been an excellent prospect all the way through our Academy pathway and during his England age‑group career, said Dowson, who won seven Test caps in his playing career. “It’s been brilliant to see that potential really start to show at senior level.
“With more first-team minutes over the last 12 months, he’s grown in confidence and shown exactly what he can do. Physically he’s outstanding – powerful, explosive, and already demonstrating the kind of athletic profile that sets top front rowers apart, which is remarkable for someone his age.
“He’s also a great character within the group. The lads rate him highly, he competes hard in everything, and he earned great praise during his time with England U20s. I think he’ll be on the senior international radar before long.
“There’s still plenty for him to learn, but he’s approaching everything the right way. He’s diligent, he’s hungry, and he works incredibly hard on and off the pitch. With that attitude, his ceiling is very high.”
Analysis: Why Steve Borthwick should be taking notes
It’s a lot easier said than done to make the senior England squad, but Craig Wright could certainly force Borthwick’s hand heading towards the 2027 World Cup, for a multitude of reasons.
From an England perspective, it could also make a lot of sense to bring him in and fast-track his already quick development at senior level. While Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jamie George continue to dominate the two and 16 shirts, in whichever combination, the pair are both in their 30s now and are coming towards the ends of their glittering Test careers, so there does need to be some sort of progression plan. Wright could certainly fit that bill, given his age profile.
He was also part of that golden U20s generation that looks likely to become the core of the senior squad in years to come, which will only help him settle in with the squad should a call-up come.
There’s one thing just being fast-tracked, but Wright does seem to fit the skillbase that Borthwick wants from his hookers.
His work in the set-piece is consistently good, helping the Saints’ lineout and scrum become a real platform to play their attacking game off, while he also gets involved around the park. As with any Saints player, he is also particularly comfortable ball-in-hand, especially when pulling the ball out the back from first receiver, which is a skill Borthwick is increasingly wanting from his forwards in attack.
While the spotlight will shine on the aforementioned Pollock out of this Northampton Saints cohort, Wright’s own development has been quite something, too. Typically, front-rowers don’t often get this much exposure to consistent PREM minutes, with them usually peaking at the age of 24 or 25, but Smith seems to be hitting his straps a lot quicker than anticipated. He really found his feet quickly last year, enjoying a breakthrough year and featuring in their Champions Cup final squad, but he has backed that up this year too. To date, he has missed just four of Northampton’s 15 matches in all competitions, while also starting in seven of his 11 appearances too.
That form could certainly earn him a spot in the upcoming England A fixtures, especially given that programme has been used to develop players like Wright who are making the step from U20s to senior, but it would then let Borthwick see what he is like within a senior Test environment with the support of the England A coaches.
Could we see him don the rose sooner rather than later?
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