Northampton Saints can today announce that Lewis Ludlam will depart the Club at the conclusion of the 2023/24 season.
The 28-year-old back row has opted to pursue a move away from the Club after eight seasons in Saints’ senior squad, in which he has notched up 121 appearances and 80 points for the men in Black, Green and Gold.
Ludlam is a product of Northampton’s Academy set-up, making his debut in the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2016 against Newcastle Falcons, but the Club captain will head for pastures new in June at the end of his current contract with Saints.
“Ever since I started playing rugby as an eight-year-old, I dreamt of being a Saint,” Ludlam said. “While the journey hasn’t always been smooth sailing, our supporters have made every moment special for me – both the good and the bad.
“I feel extremely fortunate to have played with some great players and even better blokes, to have been coached day in, day out by some of the best coaches in the game, and looked after physically by people who truly care in the Strength and Conditioning and Medical departments.
“This has been an extremely tough decision for me. I believe I've given everything physically and emotionally to this Club – and will continue to do so – and I hope our fans have seen how much it has meant to me to represent Northampton in the way I play the game.”
Lewis Ludlam
“At the end of the season, I say goodbye as a player to start a new adventure, but I will always be a Saints man. Until then, I’ll do everything I can to make sure that my final goodbye at the end of the season is singing ‘Shoe Army’ with silverware in hand.”
Ludlam earned his first senior contract with the Club in 2016 after representing Saints at Under-18 level and progressing through the ranks at Ipswich RFC and Colchester RFC, while also playing for St Joseph’s College in Suffolk.
He helped the Wanderers side scoop back-to-back Premiership Rugby A League titles in 2017 and 2018, before bursting into the first team during former Director of Rugby Chris Boyd’s first season at the helm in Northampton.
That breakthrough year culminated in a trip to the Rugby World Cup in Japan with England – he earned six caps during the side’s run to the final of the tournament, and took his international tally up to 25 over the next four years, before representing the Red Rose again at the 2023 tournament in France.
Ludlam was first named a co-captain of the Club alongside Alex Waller in November 2020, before being handed the responsibility on his own in 2021/22. He brought up a century of Saints appearances against Newcastle Falcons in the final league match of that season, and skippered Northampton to back-to-back Premiership semi-final appearances in 2022 and 2023.
Saints’ Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson, said: “Obviously we’re disappointed to see a player of Lewis’ ability and character move on.
“He’s the epitome of what we try to do with players at the Club. He came in as a youngster through the Academy system, got straight into work training with the first team, and has transitioned into a key player for us as well as being the captain of the Club – and he’s done an exceptional job leading the group, driving the energy and standards here.
“He’s also become an England international, representing Saints and his country extremely well on that stage. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do here; developing local lads to achieve great things in Northampton and beyond.
“I have loved watching Lewis’ journey, first as a player, then as a coach, and now as Director of Rugby, and I have the utmost respect for everything he has achieved.”
Phil Dowson, Director of Rugby
“I know he has been torn. Luds loves the Club, the town, our supporters, and is desperate for Saints to succeed. We see every day how engaged he is and influential he is here, so I have no doubt that he’s fiercely committed to finishing his career here in Northampton on a high note.
“He has made a difficult decision and we have to accept and respect that – but it doesn’t make it any less disappointing to see him move on, after we offered a new contract and tried to keep him at Saints.
“We are confident that our back row group remains incredibly strong moving forwards, with some great Academy prospects coming through in that area as well. A new Club captain will be announced before next season, but with a strong leadership group in place here, we have already developed a number of guys within the group who lead from the front every time they have been asked to do so.”
