Northampton No.8 Callum Chick is eager for his first trip to Ashton Gate as a Saint, with the Gallagher PREM returning after the PREM Cup break.
Chick has made seven appearances for Saints since joining in the summer from Newcastle Red Bulls, and has made a strong impression already, winning cinch Player of the Month in September.
His next challenge is a trip into Bear territory as the men in Black, Green and Gold bid to extend their unbeaten start to the 2025/26 league campaign.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Chick said. “I’ve had this PREM Cup block where I didn’t play a huge amount of rugby, so I’m looking forward to getting going again with Bristol.
“We know what type of game they’re going to play, and going to Ashton Gate is going to be a good challenge for us.
“At Newcastle, I would play most weekends, so it was nice to have the chance to let the body and mind have a rest and have some time away from playing games.
The No.8 made the move to Northampton this year after ten years spent at Newcastle Red Bulls, where he captained his boyhood club and started 15 PREM games for Newcastle in the 2024/25 season.
On the transition, he explained: “I’ve loved moving down to Northampton, it was a bit of a change from Newcastle, but the club and the rugby have been unreal.
“From preseason onwards, there’s such a good group of boys here who are all mates, and they’re close with each other, so they’ve been really welcoming. The coaches are really good blokes, but they also want us to improve and challenge each other.
“It’s been really exciting, playing at cinch Stadium. I played here a few times as an away player, so to do it as a home player, it’s been pretty special.”
Saints return to Gallagher PREM action this weekend following the PREM Cup block. Phil Dowson’s side are league’s only unbeaten side but to extend that run by a further a round, they will have to do something they’ve not managed since 2022, and win away in Bristol.
“If you want to go far in this league, you have to come away with wins or points when you go on the road because it’s so tight now, you have to get points whenever you can,” said Chick.
“The fact we’ve done that with our first two away games is obviously a huge plus for us back on the road this weekend, so hopefully we can keep it going. But playing against Bristol is never going to be easy.
“We haven’t really spoken about the winning streak, but what we have spoken about is the reasons as to why we haven’t lost yet, and little things that people don’t see that have put us in that position.”