'˜Outstanding' Wood takes over from Dickson as Saints skipper

The 29-year-old will take over the role from Lee Dickson, who had been named captain after Dylan Hartley relinquished the armband ahead of the previous campaign.

Wood is no stranger to being Saints skipper, having led the club out in the Aviva Premiership and Challenge Cup final successes back in 2014.

He has made 129 appearances for Northampton and been capped 42 times by England, captaining his country for the 2011 tour of Argentina.

Mallinder is delighted to have Wood in charge of the team and says the back row forward was the standout candidate for the job.

“Tom has long been part of a strong group of leaders at the club and we believe he has all the credentials to be an outstanding captain for Northampton Saints,” Mallinder said.

“We’ve seen in the past that he always leads by example, both on the field with his unbelievable work rate and passion, as well as off it with his wholehearted approach to everything he does.

“His past experiences in the role for both club and country made him the overwhelming choice.

“He takes over from Lee, who put his all into the role last season and will continue to play a big part on the field and in the leadership group we’ve already mentioned.

“Tom is the club captain, but there is much more to it behind the scenes than just one man and I’m sure he will have the full support of both Lee and the rest of the squad.”