Northampton Saints: West confirms club is in talks with Gloucester and England man Narraway
DORIAN WEST has confirmed Saints are in talks with Gloucester ace Luke Narraway about a possible move to Franklin’s Gardens.
Narraway, who has just been called into the England EPS squad for the Six Nations, would be viewed as a direct replacement for departing No.8 Roger Wilson.
Wilson is returning to former club Ulster for next season, leaving a big void which needs filling in Saints’ starting line-up.
And it seems director of rugby Jim Mallinder feels Narraway is the man to fill it.
The 28-year-old has made seven Test appearances for England and captained them in the non-cap game against the Barbarians last May.
He is known as a devastating ball carrier and would form a fearsome back row partnership with fellow Red Rose internationals Phil Dowson, Tom Wood and Calum Clark at Saints next season.
The only sticking point would be that if Narraway shines for England in the Six Nations, the Saints management would be forced to decide whether they are willing to accept the loss of four back rowers for next year’s tournament.
“If there’s a young English player out there who is good enough to fit into our squad we’ll always consider him,” said West (pictured, right).
“We’re trawling the world and looking for players, no matter where they’re from. If they’re good enough for our squad and they fit the type of character we’re looking for we’ll try our best to get them.
“We’ve talked to a lot of players. Luke Narraway is one of those players we’ve been talking to and we’ll see where we get to.”
Saints are in the market for new recruits following recent confirmation that Wilson and England star Chris Ashton, who has signed for Saracens, will be leaving the club.
But West has not ruled out the possibility of current squad members stepping into the shoes of the departing players next season and has tipped Samu Manoa as one to watch.
“We’ve been looking at that (replacing Wilson and Ashton) but we’ve also got some players here who we think can step up to that next level,” said West.
“We’ve been really pleased with Samu Manoa and hopefully he can step up and be a quality No 8 as well.”
One current squad member whose future at Saints remains uncertain is James Downey.
The Irish centre has been strongly linked back to his homeland, with Munster mentioned in dispatches, but West says Downey has yet to make a decision.
And the coach has confirmed Saints are doing their best to keep the player in Northampton.
“I don’t think James has announced what he’s doing yet,” said West. “We’re talking to him so we’ll see what happens.
“We’re pleased with the squad we’ve got and the more people we can keep here, the better it’ll be for us.”
Email to a friend
Print this page- BREAKING NEWS: Tributes paid to Niamh Curry as brave five-year-old loses battle against cancer
- BREAKING NEWS: Pensioner dies after collision at Northampton shopping centre
- Man tied to tree and beaten on Northampton Racecourse
- BREAKING NEWS: Woman’s body found after ‘suicide’ in Northampton hotel room
- BREAKING NEWS: Seven-year-old boy dies following house fire in Northamptonshire
- Staff strike at Northampton school over academy plans forces closure
- Northampton binmen at ‘breaking point’
- Saints’ stadium plans get support as long as traffic issues solved
- Eastern European pupils helping school standards across Northampton
- Exclusive: PM David Cameron says Northamptonshire Police Commissioner role is “a big job for a big local figure”
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Northampton
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.