'A no-brainer' - How special Northampton Saints culture enticed Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell to extend contracts
Published 30/01/2026 at 18:02 GMT
Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell's chemistry as scrum-half and fly-half for Northampton Saints has been pivotal to the club and what Phil Dowson is continuing to build at Franklin's Gardens. Signing both on to multi-year contracts earlier this season would have been vital, and David Flatman and Chris Ashton spoke to the pair and those inside the club about the special atmosphere being cultivated.
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Northampton Saints duo Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith spoke to TNT Sports' David Flatman and revealed what is so special about the club that convinced them to re-sign.
This season, Saints have managed to secure contract extensions for key players, including Alex Coles, Fraser Dingwall, and the aforementioned Mitchell and Smith.
Forming one of the PREM's and Europe's most exciting halfback partnerships, the pair were pivotal in the side's title win in 2023/2024 and their symbiosis has them top of the table after 10 games this season.
Clearly, the impressive play on the pitch produced by the club this term is reflective of a tight-knit group and a close, off-pitch bond.
"The lads are class. We love coming into training, we spend a lot of time (together) even outside training," Mitchell told Flatman.
"I've been here 10 years now, and I think it's the best team bond we've had. Even if there's mega money elsewhere, it's good to have your mates here and play and train with them week in week out."
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Smith, who has been nursing a calf strain for several weeks, is hoping to be fit for the start of England's Six Nations campaign.
The fly-half star shut down rumours of an exit when he signed a new multi-year contract with the club in October.
"One of the big things is coming to work with my best mates, who are also unbelievable rugby players," the 23-year-old explained.
"There were probably seven or eight lads who I was really desperate to know they'd be signing up as well.
"That group of people almost make the club what it is. Sam Vesty is a massive part of it as well. I've been with England, been on a Lions tour, had some unbelievable coaches, but he is still in my eyes sits right at the very top of people I've been coached by.
"As a group we've come through as a young crew of people, and I really believe we can go on to win some stuff over the next couple of years. It was a combination of all those things, and it was a bit of a no-brainer in the end.
"I still don't think we've properly got going yet. I think you know you're in a decent spot where you're playing six or seven out of 10 games, and still winning.
"I think we're in a good spot but we can get so much better, which is exciting."
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Northampton Saints teammates Alex Coles, Fraser Dingwall, George Furbank, Tommy Freeman, Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith pose for a picture before a clash between Italy and England in 2024
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In order to ensure the future success of the club, tying up a band of Saints' most valuable players to extended contracts has been immensely important.
Keeping several England and British & Irish Lions internationals together for the foreseeable future, with some of them approaching the end of their contracts, was a meticulous and challenging situation.
Saints CEO Julia Chapman also sat down with Flatman and described how difficult it was to ensure they stayed competitive and financially sustainable.
"I inherited a situation where we had a large number of key players coming to the end of their contracts," Chapman explained.
"We were in a challenging situation where it was never about if people wanted to be here or not, everyone wanted to be here.
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"But the coaches wanted to make sure that they had a squad that they could be competitive with and be in contention for silverware.
"The players wanted to know who would be coaching them. We had a bit of a stand-off for a while where nobody wanted to be the first mover, and I think in the end it was Fin who decided to put pen to paper first, and then I think all the other dominoes started to fall into place. But I had quite a few sleepless nights over that period of time.
"I would like us to have found a way of sustaining competitiveness on the pitch, to be financially sustainable, and to still have stayed true to our identity. We're a local club with national and international reach, and that's the way we want it to stay.
Todaro and Hendy's rise to the first team
Outside the main coterie of Saint's high-profile players are several players with plenty of potential, and some who have growing highlight reels of PREM rugby moments.
Two of these are Edoardo Todaro and George Hendy, and the back three players sat down with former Saints flyer Chris Ashton.
Todaro, who was born in Milan, moved to Ipswich when he was 14, and eventually earned himself an academy contract with Saints before the 2025/26 season.
He scored twice on his senior debut against Exeter Chiefs in September, and earlier this month he scored a hat-trick in a Champions Cup win over Welsh side Scarlets.
He finds himself with an impressive seven tries in the PREM already this season.
By the end of November, he had made his debut for Italy and has earned a place in their squad for the forthcoming Six Nations.
"I'm almost too British now, people tell me," joked Todaro, before telling Ashton about his Italy debut.
"I got seven minutes. I couldn't touch the ball. Obviously I was really happy to get my debut, but I couldn't touch the ball. Hopefully I get some more minutes (in the Six Nations) but we'll see.
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Hendy meanwhile has been lighting it up from full-back, with eight tries in all competitions this campaign.
After not receiving a contract with Saints out of school, he initially joined Worcester Warriors' academy before finally getting his chance with Saints' Under-18 side.
"When I was at Saints, and they offered the contracts out of school, I wasn't one of the recipients," Hendy said.
"And it was just before the Under-18 league games around the corner and I had nothing to lose. Why not? I stuck my hand up and they said 'We need a full-back for the 18s league' and I thought that gets me on the pitch. I did it alright and got signed on as a full-back, and here we are.
"How close we are as a group is massive. We spend a lot of time off the pitch together. Sam Vesty organises little socials for the backs to go to in the evenings every once in a while.
"We're just trying to keep as close as possible because we know that on the pitch, the closer you are the easier it is."
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