The big interview: Tom Vickers talks to returning Saints No.8 Sam Graham

That is because not only have the black, green and gold brought in established Gallagher PREM performer Callum Chick, they have also welcomed Sam Graham back into the mix.

Chick will help to fill the void left by South African juggernaut Juarno Augustus, who has joined Ulster, while Graham's return from a serious knee injury will also provide a sizeable shot in the arm.

Graham had been on an upward curve after switching to Saints from Champ Rugby outfit Doncaster Knights in 2022.

He was going from strength to strength before being struck by a huge injury blow, as an unfortunate tackle from Leicester Tigers flanker Tommy Reffell cost the Saints back row forward almost the entirety of the previous campaign.

Graham was only able to play four games before that October 2024 incident at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, which left him facing a lengthy recovery process.

"(It was) a knee dislocation, ACL rupture, MCL rupture and I needed a patella graft to repair all the damage inside," Graham explains. "I also tore both meniscus. It was a proper job!"

Graham's pain was amplified by the circumstances in which the injury occurred as ecstasy quickly turned to agony.

He explained: "My try got disallowed, which I'm not sure was necessarily the right call, but then we went to the goal-line drop-out, they kicked long, I caught it and carried back, got quite a long run up and it was probably my fault because I ran straight at Tommy Reffell.

"He dropped so quickly and he's a world class back row. In fairness, I don't think he did anything wrong and there were so many things that had to line up perfectly, or imperfectly in this case, to actually get that outcome.

"It was just one of those things, it's a contact sport and unfortunately it was one of those things, but it's taught me never to run it straight off the back fence again!"

So did Graham have an idea of how severe the injury was when it happened?

"To be honest, your brain tells you straight away," he said.

"I don't think I was necessarily in extreme pain instantly, although that did come.

"I knew straight away because my outside of my foot touched my hip and I thought instantly 'hang on, you're not meant to be in this position' and that's probably when I started screaming.

"We didn't know exactly how serious it was early doors because it was so swollen that there was no way I could have a scan straight away because it wouldn't have shown anything accurately.

"We knew there was a lot of damage in there and we had to wait about three and a half weeks to get some scans and at that stage I had a couple of special scans to work out the extent of the damage to the nerves and arteries in the back of my knee.

"Because of the way it happened and the way the knee dislocated, there were worries that as the knee went back into place, things might not have gone quite back into position, and that could have been quite troublesome.

"I had the monkey on my back for a while, thinking that could be me done, career over.

"It was a scary time to be honest with you.

"I just remember the day before I went off for my scan, all the physio team and S&C staff were saying 'good luck' and I was like 'hang on, I'm not really sure why I need good luck here' and then it all dawned on me.

"But thankfully it was fine, all the scans were probably more positive than we thought.

"There was probably one ligament still attached so that was something to build on and I then had the surgery half a week later and away we went."

Graham would not be human if he hadn't allowed the question of 'what if?' to creep in to his mind.

What if that try had been given?

"The amount of times I've thought that and then tried to snap myself out of it!" Graham said.

"You can't start thinking like that, especially with nine months to dwell on it.

"You don't really want to be getting bogged down in that cycle.

"If it had been allowed we might not have been in that situation but that's nothing to say that something like that couldn't have happened just 20 minutes later in the game,

"You just don't know."

One thing that helped Graham massively during his attempts to come back from the injury was that he had a friend enduring a similar process.

Robbie Smith suffered a season-ending knee injury just six days after Graham endured the same fate.

And in fact, Smith's knee was in an even worse state than Graham's.

"It was the full monty for Robbie," Graham said. "Mine probably looked more horrific at the time but Robbie really did some damage.

"He's been so impressive in the way he's managed to come back.

"Not trying to tell secrets, but he has worked so hard, bless him."

Graham and Smith would have had huge parts to play as Saints sought to defend the league title they had won at the end of the 2024/25 season.

But both men were forced to watch on as the black, green and gold struggled to an eighth-place finish.

Despite Saints' sluggish start to the campaign, Graham had actually been looking strong, playing his part in home wins against Exeter Chiefs and Harlequins in the weeks prior to the clash with Tigers.

"I was loving it," he said.

"Those first few games, I'll be honest it was kind of difficult coming back in after the Premiership win because it was just different with a new mix of guys, a lot of key characters in the group going, but I really felt I was growing into my role at the club and understanding what that was.

"Any time I get to play, I love it.

"I've loved every single game I've played at the Saints and I felt I was going from strength to strength with every game I was playing.

"It was frustrating that I got injured when I did because I really felt like I was finding some good form and showing what I wanted to show - that I've still got so much more to come.

"But in a way, I've had nine months to reflect on it and I keep stoking that fire because it's burning quite bright at the moment."

That fire has been fuelled by the frustration of having to sit and watch while Saints made it all the way to the Investec Champions Cup final last season.

"It's probably something I've tried not to think about for a while but it's really frustrating because everything in your mind is telling you 'I should be out there, I should be out there' and it's the worst feeling knowing you can do nothing about it," Graham said.

"It came at such a frustrating time because it was off the back of winning the Premiership and I only got four games of the season, feeling I still had so much to prove last season.

"In a way, I've still got lots to prove this season as well now.

"There are so many days when you go through your rehab and you're working extremely hard because you can't waste a day, but the bottom line is that you're just physically not in a position to do what your brain tells you that you can.

"I've been able to work some of that frustration out recently."

With Saints hit by injury after injury last season, there were fears as to what kind of team they could actually put out in the Champions Cup final clash with Union Bordeaux Bègles in Cardiff.

Augustus had been ruled out, meaning there was a vacancy at No.8.

And with Graham making good progress in his comeback, the incredibly unlikely prospect of him returning on the biggest stage cropped up, especially when he posted a picture of him back in training on Instagram with the caption 'So you’re saying there’s a chance?'.

"In truth, that was probably me just having a bit of fun," Graham said, laughing lightly.

"But there was a conversation at the time where we weren't that far off, but it would have been completely ridiculous to have played in that game.

"Some people come back from an ACL injury in about seven months and that probably would have been about the right timeline for the Champions Cup final.

"My knee was probably a bit more complicated than the ACL. There was a lot of damage there and it needed to be respected.

"In a way, by not rushing it, which has been said from minute one, that we're going to get it right, I think we'll see the rewards of that this year.

"Obviously the competitor in me wanted to be available for that game because that game is what we live for and you never know how many opportunities you're going to get to be in a Champions Cup final.

"But also, the guys who played in that back row in the final, they gave it absolutely everything.

"It probably would have been a bit disrespectful if I just came back in and played.

"But at the heart of it (the Instagram post) was probably me wanting to play, my frustration at not being able to but also having a bit of fun with it.

"It would have been insane (to play in that game) but me being curious, I'd have loved to have seen how I would have gone.

"But we'll just have to get there again, won't we?"

As well as his comeback, Graham had something else that was important to him to look forward to this summer; he got married in June.

"In fairness, at times it was probably the only thing keeping me sane because that rehab was really, really tough," Graham said.

"There were a few things that kept me going and not that I wanted to wish ill on Robbie Smith but having him going through the same thing at the same time helped me enormously. He's a good guy to have around for inspiration when you sometimes lack it.

"It's been really hard but I'm glad to be out the back end of it now and ready to hit the ground running again ready for the start of the season – and it can't come soon enough."

Saints play their first pre-season fixture next week, travelling to Bedford Blues on Friday, September 5.

And how Graham would love to be involved in that match at Goldington Road.

"I'm feeling good," said the 28-year-old.

"Together as a group, I've worked very closely with Nathan Allwork and Jason Sivil, who have been unbelievable with me from a physio and strength and conditioning point of view.

"They've got me to a point where I've come back to training and I don't feel like I've been away, which says a lot about the effort and work they've put in.

"I'm feeling really positive and I'm just so excited to get back out there.

"Now some of the nervousness around whether I can still rugby, because I've actually done it, has gone, I just can't wait and that first game can't come soon enough.

"I'm hoping to get a few minutes in that first game, against Bedford - how many minutes I get, I'm not sure - and then just try to build up.

"I've still got to prove myself, I've still got to try to win the shirt back as I've done before and it's a situation I'm comfortable with.

"Callum Chick has come in and he's a brilliant player. He's someone on par with Juarno to compete with, and hopefully we'll bring the best out of each other."