Tom James joined Northampton Saints ahead of the 2020/21 season, signing from Doncaster Knights.
The scrum-half made the step-up into the Premiership for the first time in his career, having enjoyed spells with the Knights and Bedford Blues in the Championship, as well as Loughborough Students in National One.
His exploits for the university side saw him called up for England Students back in 2016, and at Castle Park James established himself as Doncaster’s first-choice scrum-half – finishing the 2018/19 season as Knights’ top-scorer and adding eight tries in 18 appearances to his tally in 2019/20.
He made his senior Saints debut in a fixture against London Irish in late 2020, shortly after rugby resumed following the pandemic shutdown, and firmly established himself as a vital squad member in the seasons that followed.
James opened his try account for Saints during his European debut – crossing in the Heineken Champions Cup against Leinster in Dublin – and continues to chip in with regular scores in Black, Green and Gold.
With a wand of a left foot, James’ tactical kicking and delivery from hand is often vital to Saints’ attacking structure, and the No.9’s reliability, professionalism and work ethic has made him a trusted performer in key matches and a cornerstone of Saints’ squad.
His 50th Northampton appearance came in a tight 19-18 victory over Leicester Tigers in January 2023, while his century for Saints was brought up in Dublin in 2025 as the men in Black, Green and Gold toppled Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-finals.
