Have you ever wondered who would make up the all-time Northampton Saints XV? Well, the Club’s main partner, Travis Perkins, have decided to answer that question once and for all!
Now that the voting for Loosehead Prop is closed, we are moving onto another hotly-contested position – hooker. Just fill in the form below to tell us your favourite ever Saintsman to pull on the No.2 shirt.
Voting will continue over the next few weeks, asking Saints supporters to select their favourite-ever players to don the Black, Green and Gold jersey until we have the ultimate Saints XV.
And for each position, one lucky voter will be selected at random to win one of 15 exclusive ‘WE MARCH ON’ bobble hats up for grabs!
But with over 2,000 Saints to choose from, we’ve narrowed the hooker category down to these five nominees to help you make your choice:
Andy Johnson – #1214
1955-1975 | 303 apps
Making his debut in a time when Saints solidified their position at the top of the English game, Andy Johnson was considered one of the best hookers to not represent England. With over 300 appearances on his record and a career in Northampton that spanned two decades, Johnson – who played alongside the likes of club legend David Powell – remains one of just 22 Saints to have represented the Club more than 300 times.
Roger Horwood – #1259
1958-1975 | 207 apps
As well as making over 200 appearances in the front row as a player across 17 seasons – a period interrupted by two years’ national service with the RAF – Roger Horwood’s significant input off the pitch helped form the Club as we know it today. Organising fundraising events that helped the Club purchase Franklin’s Gardens, Saints Hall-of-Famer Horwood was a member of the Gang of Seven that helped transform the future of the Club in the 1988 revolution, as well as joining forces with Mick Roper and Mike Warrington to establish the former Saints players association, the Crooked Hooker.
Federico Mendez – #1739
1998-2000 | 46 apps
Possessing a unique ability to play across the front row, Federico Mendez might have only worn Black, Green and Gold 46 times but the Argentinian’s favour with Saints’ supporters ensures his place in Northampton’s history books. An instrumental figure in Saints’ front row as their pack rose to the pinnacle of European club rugby, Mendez’s time at Franklin's Gardens culminated in one of the Club’s finest hours at Twickenham on 27 May 2000, when Saints defeated Munster to lift the Heineken Cup.
Steve Thompson – #1743
1998-2007 | 195 apps
British and Irish Lion, World Cup winner and Northampton School for Boys graduate, Steve Thompson made the switch from back row to hooker on his arrival at Franklin’s Gardens and quickly became a fan-favourite as Saints’ pack became one of the most dominant in European rugby. Helping Saints lift the Heineken Cup for the first time in the Club’s history before breaking into the England squad, Thompson eventually started in that historic match in Sydney in 2003 as Clive Woodward’s men lifted the Webb Ellis trophy.
Dylan Hartley – #1808
2005-2019 | 251 apps
The longest-serving Saint in recent history and England’s second-most capped player of all time, Dylan Hartley – who was named Club captain for the first time at just 23 years old – retired at the start of his 15th season in 2019 after making 251 appearances and eight years wearing the armband. And Hartley’s first stint as skipper, the longest in Northampton’s 130-year history, coincided with the Club’s most-successful period. The men in Black, Green and Gold won the Premiership title, two European Challenge Cups, and an Anglo-Welsh Cup to boot – not to mention reaching separate Premiership and Heineken Cup finals.
Know who’s got your vote? Just fill in the form below to cast your vote and be entered into the prize draw! And keep your eyes peeled for the final team on our social media channels once the voting is complete...
