2008/09 was the year that Paul came of age. Although in previous years he had made a name for himself with a string of committed performances for his home-town club and had shown a good eye for a try opportunity - not least in the EDF Energy National Trophy final - Paul remained one of the lower-profile players at the Saints.

That all changed in October 2008 when he burst into the first team with tries in three consecutive matches. They were the first of 14 he would go on to score, becoming the club's leading try scorer for the season in the process.

The European Challenge Cup final win was an understandable highlight, and Digger showed exactly what it meant by leaving the changing room with the trophy in his grasp - no one else was having it!

In 2009/10 Paul secured another winners' medal in the LV= Cup - a game where he also passed the magical 100-appearance mark for the Saints.

His try-scoring form in 2010/11 helped to maintain a career strike rate close to one every other game, while he became the first Saints player to score four times in a Heineken Cup match against Edinburgh.

That haul ensured that Paul ended as the tournament's leading try-scorer, while his overall season tally of 14 made him the Saints' leading try-scorer as well.

Having struggled to command a regular place in the early runnings of this season, Paul turned in a string of outstanding performances at full back that not only saw him rewarded with a place back on the wing, but also a new deal with his only club.