Saints Number: #494
Saints Career: 1919-1926
Appearances: 87
Position: Second Row

Career Statistics

Tries: 39
Conversions: 0
Penalties: 0
Drop Goals: 0
Total Points: 117

Representative Honours

England (17 caps)
British & Irish Lions (1924 South Africa)

Hall of Fame

Inducted: 2018

Freddie Blakiston

Arthur ‘Freddie’ Blakiston combined outstanding rugby ability with remarkable courage in military service, becoming one of the most respected sportsmen of his generation.

Educated at Bedford School and Cambridge University, Blakiston served as a lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery during the First World War. In September 1918, near the Belgian town of Dranoutre, he displayed the gallantry that earned him the Military Cross. Under sustained shellfire, he helped rescue wounded soldiers and ammunition wagons after a direct hit devastated a supply column. Despite the danger, he ensured vital ammunition reached troops near the front line.

After the war, Blakiston moved to Northampton as a schoolmaster and made his Saints debut in 1919. Across seven seasons he made 87 appearances, captained the Club in 1925, and established himself as one of the leading forwards in English rugby.

Blakiston earned 17 England caps, won three Grand Slams and toured South Africa with the British & Irish Lions in 1924. He played 13 matches on that tour, including all four Tests against South Africa, and scored a try against Border Bulldogs.

Contemporaries remembered him as an uncompromising competitor. One journalist described him as ‘hard as nails’, while another compared him to an Elizabethan adventurer, fearless and relentless in every aspect of his play. England captain Wavell Wakefield ranked him among the finest players he had known, recalling the distinctive sight of Blakiston charging across the field in his scrum cap with seemingly boundless energy.

In 1941 he inherited his uncle’s baronetcy and became Sir Arthur Frederick Blakiston. Away from rugby he developed a passion for hunting, but his legacy at Northampton remains rooted in his determination, toughness and leadership.

In recognition of that legacy, Saints introduced the Blakiston Challenge during pre-season training in 2018. The gruelling fitness test, featuring long-distance runs and heavy sandbag carries, pays tribute to the endurance and bravery that defined his life.

Hall of Fame profiles have been researched and compiled, with the Club’s grateful thanks, by the volunteers of Northampton Saints Foundation’s Heritage Department – whose work helps preserve and share the rich history of Northampton Saints.