Dowson full of praise for Furbank after handing him the Saints captaincy

Furbank always appeared to be the natural successor to Lewis Ludlam, who left Saints to join Toulon this summer, having enjoyed an incredible run as skipper last season.

Furbank has won all 12 of his games in charge of the black, green and gold and now becomes the 66th captain of Saints since the club’s inception in 1880.

He made his Saints debut in November 2017 in an Anglo-Welsh Cup clash at Exeter Chiefs, but became a first-team regular the following season as he helped the black, green and gold lift the inaugural Premiership Rugby Cup.

A call-up to the England squad and a Test debut against France in the 2020 Six Nations would follow, and the full-back has gone from strength to strength at both club and international level since then.

He brought up a century of Saints appearances in September 2023 against Bath, and took his tally of international caps to 11.

And Saints boss Dowson feels Furbank's attributes on and off the pitch will stand him in great stead for the new role.

Dowson said: “We’re really pleased for George. He’s a top-quality player and he’s been a supporter of the club since he was a young lad coming to watch games with his dad. He sat in the stands watching the 2014 final, he played in the 2024 final, and now he’s captain of the side – it’s great to see.

“The way George led last year really was noticeable. He came in for pre-season frustrated at not being included in England’s World Cup squad, but showed a huge amount of maturity to use that disappointment to push himself, and others around him, to get better.

“He captained the side a number of times last season, led very well, and he’s got the respect of the whole playing group as well as a really good relationship with the coaching staff.

“George was one of the names who was a clear candidate for the role, but there are lots of players within the squad who are excellent leaders too, and will direct our game from a technical point of view. People like Fin Smith at fly-half has a big role to play, Alex Coles within the lineout space, Curtis Langdon and Robbie Smith as our hookers.

“Fraser Dingwall is very important too in terms of his messaging, his calmness and his confidence within the group, while guys like Chunya Munga and Sam Graham have shown really strong leadership calibre this pre-season.

“So, George will have a solid group around him, and I know he and the rest of the squad are excited to get going again this weekend.”