Director of rugby Jim Mallinder has described Stephen Myler’s triple century of appearances as a “special achievement”.
When the fly half runs out with the rest of the Northampton Saints team to play Gloucester at Kingsholm on Sunday afternoon he will become just the 16th player in the history of the club to reach the milestone, and just the second player this century to do so.
Myler, whose tally of 2,444 points is the second highest in club history, made his Saints first team debut just over 10 years ago. In that time he has experienced the lows of relegation in 2007 and the highs of winning the Aviva Premiership in 2014, multiple European Rugby Challenge Cups and the Anglo-Welsh Cup, along with several other finals, and Mallinder says that the fly half has been an integral part of the club’s successes.
“You don’t play 300 times for a club without being a special player, and Stephen is certainly that,” he says. “He has been a key player for us in my time at the club and is one of the important leaders within the squad.
“As a goal kicker and game manager he has helped us win some important matches and his temperament has been excellent, too. It’s no coincidence that he won the man of the match awards for both the Aviva Premiership and Challenge Cup finals in 2014. He approaches each game the same way and is very level-headed, whether we are playing in a pre-season friendly or in a cup final.
“His approach has helped him achieve success both as an individual and as part of the team, and I hope that all Saints supporters will join me in congratulating him on reaching 300 appearances. In the professional era hitting this milestone is going to be increasingly rare, and Stephen has shown superb loyalty and consistency in his decade at the club.
“It’s a special achievement.”
