Emmanuel Iyogun believes Northampton Saints are relishing the opportunity to perform in another huge arena when they take on Saracens at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.
The men in Black, Green and Gold go into the Showdown 6 well-versed in playing in some of Britain and Ireland’s biggest sporting arenas, having performed in 50,000-plus capacity arenas on no less than four occasions in under two years.
Loosehead prop Iyogun has featured in all of those games and is in line to move within seven of a century of Saints appearances in Saturday’s Gallagher PREM Round 12 encounter (kick-off: 6pm).
“I’ve been lucky enough to play at some pretty cool stadiums like Croke Park and the Principality, and the stadium is almost part of the occasion,” said the 25-year-old.
“You’re kind of getting a trial run (for a final) when you play in a stadium with that capacity with that many fans.
While it’s Saints’ first outing in the 62,850 capacity stadium, Iyogun has experienced the ground as a spectator.
“I’ve been to watch Tottenham play, but I’m not a Tottenham fan,” he said. “It's an awesome stadium, and I’ve heard it's the longest bar in the UK, so there are some pretty cool selling points there.
“To play at a stadium like that with a capacity like that as a rugby player is awesome, and it’s something the boys won’t forget.”
Iyogun didn’t get to add to his big stadium playing experiences, despite being a part of England’s 2026 Guinness Six Nations throughout the tournament.
While he didn’t make his senior international debut, the Saints forward took plenty from his extended spell on international duty.
“It was a bit different for me in terms of doing a lot of training (and not playing matches), but I learned loads, and it was the first full campaign I’ve been part of, so I really enjoyed that aspect of it.
“I’ve taken a lot of lessons, but I’m happy to be back (at Saints) now.”
Iyogun, who gained some playing minutes during the Six Nations in Saints’ PREM Rugby Cup win over Saracens, made his first start in two months in the hard-fought 28-27 victory over Newcastle Red Bulls last time out.
Reflecting upon his return to familiar surroundings, he said: “It’s good. It’s nice seeing the boys again. It's funny what six weeks does to you because you come back and it's sort of like Christmas – everyone’s so happy to see you.
“I’ve really enjoyed being back, seeing all the coaches and getting the squad together so it’s really exciting to be back.”