Lumley ready to kick on after getting 'unbelievable' Saints opportunities

But that couldn’t have been further from the feeling Henry Lumley had about the Gallagher PREM encounter at Kingsholm.

Because on the weekend after Saints were beaten by Union Bordeaux Bègles in the final of the Investec Champions Cup, Lumley was given the chance to make his black, green and gold debut.

It meant that at just 17 years and 317 days old, Lumley became Saints’ youngest ever Gallagher PREM player.

And he certainly didn’t look out of place, helping a much-changed Northampton team to give as good as they got against a full-strength Gloucester side who still harboured hopes of securing a play-off place.

“It was unbelievable,” said Lumley, who attended his first Saints media session on Tuesday afternoon. “Not many boys get that opportunity, with boys dropping out for international duty or injury, and that, so you’ve just got to step up and take it and enjoy.

“Obviously, there was a good buzz around the squad (after the Champions Cup final). Coming in for that week was really special and once you get to Gloucester, and it’s a sell-out, you sort of just realise you’ve got to go for it now, just go out and enjoy myself and do what I do.”

So how did he feel when he heard he would be starting at Gloucester?

"It’s something you don’t expect, that’s for sure,” Lumley said. “I thought I was just coming in to cover training numbers, and all that sort of thing.

"You get a go to play in your position, they then say ‘oh, you’re gonna be in the team’ and then it’s a start.

"You’ve just got to take it and enjoy yourself, and as long as you’re enjoying it that’s the main thing.”

Saints have made a habit of bringing talented players through their incredibly strong Academy system in recent years.

And when asked how much of a step up it was, Lumley said: “It’s a lot faster and a lot more physical, obviously.

"It was my first ever 80-minute game - so you definitely feel that – but coming in as a younger boy I sort of felt there was less pressure because people are going to expect you to make these errors and expect you to do something wrong.

"I just wanted to go out there and enjoy myself and do what I can do.

"It’s definitely very inspiring to see players coming from the Academy and it gives you a lot of confidence that a lot of these boys are homegrown.

"That proves that the Academy is such a credit to the club and it’s produced a lot of good athletes over the years.”

The Gloucester game came in the middle of Lumley’s preparations for his A-Level exams.

So how did he do?

"I did alright – not as good as I hoped but I sort of let myself off a bit because I was bit busy around the time,” Lumley said.

"I would have hoped to have done a bit better, I suppose.”

The same couldn’t be said about that appearance at Gloucester as Lumley more than held his own.

But rather than fuelling his belief going into this season, Lumley admits it added a bit more pressure for him during the summer.

"In a way I sort of felt more pressure because I’d had that experience, that opportunity which some of the boys in my year hadn’t had, so I need to be more comfortable and I need to be better,” he explained.

"That’s not the case but that’s how I felt at the time, a bit more pressure, but after a couple of weeks everyone feels like they’ve integrated perfectly.”

Lumley has spent time learning his trade on loan at Cambridge in Champ Rugby and he recently made his first Gardens appearance for Saints, starting in the PREM Rugby Cup win against Harlequins earlier this month.

He will now look forward to another outing when Newcastle Red Bulls come to town on Saturday evening (kick-off 5.30pm).

"Last week was my home debut and the crowd was so loud I couldn’t believe it, so it’s nice to have that support behind you,” he said. “It’s a feeling you’ll never forget.

"It (the PREM Rugby Cup) is the best opportunity for us young lads to get time and minutes on the field at a high standard.

"Every opportunity you get you’ve got to take it and learn from it, watch it back and review it so you’ll keep learning.”

Lumley started playing rugby at the age of six and he even spent some time in New Zealand last summer as part of his journey to the Saints first team.

He explained: “I started playing tag rugby at six – Bury St Edmunds is my hometown club so I spent a lot of time there and really enjoyed it there.

"Then I moved to Finborough School in Suffolk when I was about 10 or 11 and that sort of took me on to that next level of being at a school where they play four hours of sport a week and you’re involved in all these ball games which helps your coordination, and all those sorts of things.

“I went to Hamilton Boys High School (in New Zealand) for four months and had a season out there which was incredible. Schoolboy rugby out there is at a completely different level, I believe, and the support you get from the crowd was just mental.

“You make all your new mates and after a few weeks you get more comfortable then there’s a bit in the middle where you miss your family a lot, but you know that as soon as you come home nothing’s really changed.

"You’ve just got to enjoy it while you’re out there because in the last few weeks you’re wishing you had longer.

“The training standard and the frequency of training (in New Zealand) is quite tough – it seems a lot more military-like, getting up early and doing shuttle runs and boot camps, and that sort of thing. But that’s why they make such good players, I suppose.

"All these boys are such dedicated players and they grow up passing a rugby ball, not kicking a football. That makes a difference in how good they are compared with schoolboy level over here.

"I never really had any intentions of it (going overseas to play rugby), but the opportunity just arose and I just snapped at it.

"I thought I couldn’t let that go, but I was obviously indecisive because I’m really close to my family and I didn’t want to leave them for four months, my parents and grandparents, but I’m glad I did take it. Really glad.”