The prospect of a physical encounter at Mattioli Woods Welford Road in an East Midlands derby is an exciting opportunity for the men in Black, Green and Gold, says Saints prop Emmanuel Iyogun.
It has been more than three-and-a-half years since Northampton Saints came away from Leicester Tigers with a victory, and this weekend, for Iyogun and the side, they are fully focused on righting those wrongs.
“If you watched us train this week, you would get a sense of what this week means to us as a group,” Iyogun explained.
“I personally have had tougher experiences at Welford Road, but it’s just a case of not letting the occasion overwhelm you, going out there, taking in the atmosphere and the hostility for what it is.”
“The lads are looking forward to this game, and enough boys have played in this fixture to understand what you need to do to end up winning this fixture.”
The last time Iyogun locked horns with Tigers, he clocked up his 100th Saints appearance in last season’s PREM Play-Off victory at DPD Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens. A week later, became a two-time PREM champion, and later that summer, he became the Club’s most recent England international. A whirlwind period had one more milestone moment, as the Academy graduate became the latest Saints star to put pen to paper on a new contract.
“It was a bit of a no-brainer for me,” said Iyogun on his decision to extend his deal. “It’s my boyhood club, I love the lads, love the coaches, so it was an easy decision. I’ve had some tough years at times, being in the front row and being young, learning and developing. But I’ve stuck at it, and I think I'm in a good position now to keep learning and keep that rise going.”
Born in Madrid and raised in Basildon, Iyogun initially pursued football before discovering rugby at the age of 14. After joining Southend RFC, he quickly caught the attention of Northampton Saints’ Academy scouts.
He entered the Club’s pathway system in 2016 and made his Under-18s debut a year later as a back-row forward, playing two years above his age group. Upon signing his first professional contract in 2019, Iyogun made the switch to loosehead prop, a move that would prove pivotal in his development and has now led him to senior international caps as well as becoming a mainstay in the Saints matchday 23.
“The club is so good at giving you opportunities to learn and develop, without punishing you for mistakes,” he continued.
“It’s something Sam Vesty is really good at, actually supporting young players through being better rugby players and not overloading people with knowledge, just understanding what a player is like, what they need and what areas they need to be better.
“Everyone is constantly striving to be better, and we’ve got such a competitive group, so it only makes for people getting better.”