Dowson delighted as 'incredibly valuable' Hendy signs new Saints deal
Boss Phil Dowson feels there is still so much more to come from George Hendy after the ‘incredibly valuable’ star signed a new deal with Saints.
The prolific back has been one of the black, green and gold’s standout performers this season.
He reached the milestone of 50 Saints appearances in the opening round of the Gallagher PREM, and has since crossed for eight tries in 15 appearances so far this term.
His excellent form earned him the cinch player of the month prize for December, as well as a nomination for one of European rugby’s most prestigious individual honours – the 2026 Investec player of the year award.
And Dowson said: “George has always had exceptional physical ability and the capacity to open up games.
“The experience he gained on loan at Bedford Blues was absolutely integral to the level he’s now playing at with Saints in the PREM.
“That period was huge for him – both in terms of the work ethic demanded of him in the backfield, and the freedom Mike Rayer gave him to play what he saw. It clearly meant a lot, because he still goes down to Goldington Road to support the lads whenever he can.
“George has tremendous athleticism and an ability to beat defenders, something we’ve seen in abundance this past year while he’s been playing predominantly on the wing.
“He’s still young and has so much more growth ahead of him.
“He’ll only continue to improve. He’s ambitious, he wants to push for international selection, and I’ve no doubt he’ll keep driving forward.
“He’s very strong across all three backfield positions, and we’ve also got the option of using him in the centres. The more exposure he gets there, the better he’ll become.
“We’ve seen with Tommy Freeman the value of players who can excel at wing, full-back and centre. One of the joys of Sam Vesty’s coaching is how those roles can be interchangeable.
“George gets plenty of touches at full-back and can spark counter-attacks from there, so that versatility makes him an incredibly valuable player for Saints moving forward, and we’re delighted to be keeping him within our group.”