Back rower Josh Taylor arrived at Franklin’s Gardens ahead of the 2026/27 season, joining Northampton Saints from CHAMP side Ealing Trailfinders. 

A product of Ealing’s Academy, Taylor initially broke through in the second row, and featured in that position for Scotland Under-20s during the 2021/22 season. He made nine appearances at that level, scoring two tries during that year’s Under-20s Six Nations campaign.

Taylor then transitioned from the front five into the back row, and established himself as a regular for Ealing. Taylor has featured across the back row in his 42 appearances to date, scoring 12 tries in all competitions as well as frequently captaining the London side in 2025/26.

Originally part of London Irish’s Academy, Taylor made the move to Ealing in 2019 alongside beginning his academic studies at Brunel University – where he studied Sport and Exercise Science while continuing his development with Trailfinders’ Academy.

The back-rower made his senior debut for the CHAMP club in the PREM Rugby Cup in 2023, marking his second appearance in an Ealing shirt with a brace of tries against Cambridge in the same competition. A further seven appearances in English rugby’s second tier followed later that season.

Taylor went on to make 11 appearances across the CHAMP and PREM Rugby Cup during the 2023/24 campaign, before enjoying a breakthrough season in 2024/25. He played more rugby than ever before in the season before making the switch to Northampton, featuring 1229 times in the CHAMP so far and crossing the whitewash on eight occasions.