Legendary Northampton Saints hooker Steve Thompson has today been revealed as the third inductee of 2022 to the Club’s prestigious Hall of Fame.
The 44-year-old will be honoured alongside Keith Barwell OBE and Ian Hunter at a special dinner on Thursday 10 November at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens – with several more inductees set to be announced in the coming weeks.
After taking a three-year hiatus, the celebration is back for 2022 and this year’s event includes a champagne reception and three-course dinner in the Rodber Suite.
The Club’s Hall of Fame features many of the world’s greatest-ever players, with 21 former Northampton stars inducted since its inception in 2004. To see the Hall of Fame inductees in full, please visit CLICK HERE.
This year’s dinner will see Thompson, Barwell and Hunter, three Northampton legends who all made massive contributions to Saints both on and off the pitch, join that illustrious company.
With tables of up to ten people available to book now, and Club Historian and BBC journalist Graham McKechnie hosting the ceremony, this is a chance not to be missed to witness a piece of Saints history.
Tickets are on sale for just £125pp (plus VAT) with 300 places available in total. Season Ticket Holders can enjoy preferential rates with packages also available for company and sponsor tables.
For more information or to book a whole table, please email [email protected].
STEVE THOMPSON
Rugby World Cup-winning hooker Steve Thompson is inducted into Northampton Saints’ Hall of Fame having made 192 appearances for the Club between his debut in 1998 and 2007.
Saint #1743, Thompson came through Northampton School for Boys, Northampton Casuals RFC and Northampton Old Scouts RFC before being signed into the academy at Franklin’s Gardens as an 18-year-old.
Formerly a back-row forward, Thompson was converted to the front row and the rest was history as he went on to lock down the No.2 jersey in Northampton and represent both England and the British & Irish Lions.
At over 6ft tall, Thompson was larger than the average hooker and an 18-stone frame combined with superb handling skills made him a formidable presence in both the pack and the loose.
After making his England debut in 2002 against Scotland, Thompson cemented his place in Clive Woodward’s squad in the build-up to the 2003 Rugby World Cup – where he played in all but one of England’s matches in their historic run to glory.
Thompson was also selected for the British & Irish Lions’ tour to New Zealand in 2005, earning Test caps in the warm-up clash against Argentina and the clashes with the All Blacks in Christchurch and Wellington.
After initially retiring in 2007, Thompson went on to represent Brive, Leeds and Wasps before he hung up his boots for good.
In recent years, Thompson has been at the forefront of the campaign to improve player safety and concussion protocol in rugby, releasing a BBC Documentary, ‘Head On: Rugby, Dementia and Me’, in 2022.
