Josh Kemeny joined Saints ahead of the 2024/25 season from Super Rugby’s Melbourne Rebels, and quickly established himself as a vital member of Northampton’s back row with a dynamic blend of power, pace, and lineout skill.
Standing at 1.93m and weighing 110kg, the flanker made 27 Super Rugby appearances (starting in 24) for the Rebels having risen through the ranks at Cranbrook School in Sydney, also earning selection for New South Wales Schools, before representing Australia in the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in France in 2018.
Kemeny was noticed by the Rebels while studying for a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Management and playing for Sydney University, and after he helped the side secure a second consecutive Shute Shield title, the Melbourne outfit swooped in to secure his signature.
After three seasons with the Rebels, Kemeny earned his first international cap for the Wallabies, coming off the bench against Argentina in Sydney in July 2023 – and that Test debut could have come even sooner, but for a knee injury which restricted his rapid progress after he was initially named in Dave Rennie’s first Wallaby squad back in 2021. Kemeny added another cap for Australia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in the Wallabies’ victory over Portugal.
After signing for Saints and making the switch to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, Kemeny made his competitive debut in the opening round of the 2024/25 Premiership season, starting at blindside flanker against Bath and marking the occasion with a try.
His immense athleticism and work rate saw him notch up 21 appearances and cross the whitewash six times during that first season in Northampton, including starting in both the semi-final and Final of the Champions Cup that year.
And his impact for Saints did not go unnoticed, as he clinched both the Players’ Player of the Season and Coaches’ Player of the Season awards at the end of the campaign.
