{"id":355150,"date":"2026-01-06T12:43:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T12:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/355150\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T12:43:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T12:43:22","slug":"tom-lockett-makes-international-ambitions-clear-after-signing-new-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/355150\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Lockett makes international ambitions clear after signing new deal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Northampton<\/a> Saints second-row Tom Lockett<\/a> has signed a new deal at Franklin\u2019s Gardens.<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old Saints academy product is one match shy of bringing up 50 appearances for the club since making his debut in 2021.<\/p>\n

The 6\u20197\u2033 lock is currently sidelined having sustained a leg injury while representing England<\/a> A in November, though Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson<\/a> expects him to return soon. That match came at the end of a week where he had been called up to Steve Borthwick\u2019s senior England training squad.<\/p>\n

The fixture against the All Blacks<\/a> XV at the Rec was Lockett\u2019s second outing for England A, having been named player of the match against Ireland<\/a> A in February.<\/p>\n

After signing his new deal, the former Wales<\/a> U18 lock did not hide his ambition to \u201cestablish\u201d himself in the England team. <\/p>\n

Fixture<\/p>\n

Investec Champions Cup<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Bordeaux <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Northampton <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cStaying at Saints was an easy decision for me,\u201d he said. \u201cThis club is where I grew up playing my rugby; it\u2019s where my mates are, and it\u2019s where we\u2019re building something genuinely exciting. <\/p>\n

\u201cBeing part of a young group that\u2019s developing fast, but also pushing hard for more silverware, is a brilliant environment to come into every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got real depth in the second row. Training alongside players like Alex Coles<\/a>, Ed Prowse, Chunya Munga<\/a> and JJ van der Mescht<\/a> pushes all of us to raise our level. Each of us brings something different, and that competition has been massive for my development.<\/p>\n

\u201cA huge influence has also been James Craig. He\u2019s coached me from my first days in the Academy through to the senior environment, and having someone who knows my game so well \u2013 and challenges me constantly \u2013 has played a huge part in where I\u2019ve got to.<\/p>\n

\u201cLong term, I want to establish myself in the international picture. I\u2019ve had a taste with England A<\/a> and in senior camps, and being surrounded here by players operating at that level helps drive me forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cRepresenting this town and this club means a lot to me, and running out at cinch Stadium as someone who\u2019s come through the system will never get old. When the town gets behind you it really is something special, so there\u2019s nowhere else I\u2019d rather be playing my rugby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dowson added: \u201cWe\u2019re over the moon to keep a player of Tom\u2019s calibre at Saints. He really came to the fore during our European campaign in 2023\/24 with two outstanding performances against Glasgow<\/a> and Toulon, and he\u2019s built on that ever since. His consistency and impact have grown year on year.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysically, Tom has transformed himself. He\u2019s added significant size and strength over the last few seasons, which is a huge part of his role, and that\u2019s down to sheer hard work and professionalism. He\u2019s incredibly diligent in how he prepares.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s had some recognition at international level with England and England A now as well. His hunger to keep improving is obvious \u2013 Tom is meticulous in everything he does, and that mindset will take him a long way.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s had some tough luck with injuries, but once he can put together a long run of games, I\u2019ve no doubt he\u2019ll kick on again.<\/p>\n

\u201cTom\u2019s also an excellent lineout caller, something he\u2019s done throughout his career, and he\u2019s getting more opportunities to lead that area for us in the PREM and in Europe. Under the tutelage of James Craig<\/a>, he\u2019ll only continue to develop that element of his game.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Northampton Saints second-row Tom Lockett has signed a new deal at Franklin\u2019s Gardens. The 23-year-old Saints academy product…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355151,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-355150","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355150\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}