Jack Lewis and George Tonga'uiha headline eight Northampton Saints academy promotions

Northampton Saints have confirmed eight prospects will join their senior academy ahead of next season after signing their first professional contracts, with back-row Jack Lewis and lock George Tonga’uiha the standout names in the group.

Lewis, 17, became Saints’ second-youngest player of the professional era when he made his senior debut in the Premiership Rugby Cup against Harlequins in February at just 17 years and 240 days old. The flanker, whose father Mark represented Northampton in the 1990s, went on to win the club’s player of the month award during that competition and captained Northampton School for Boys to Schools Cup glory at Allianz Stadium.

Tonga’uiha continues a family tradition at Franklin’s Gardens. The lock follows both his father Soane — a cult figure at the club — and older brother Sonny in signing a professional deal with Saints, making him the third member of the family to commit to the club.

Also stepping up to the senior academy are Noah Buxton, Sonny Goode, Alex Mead, Aiden Reid, Hugh Shields and Charlie Tamani. The intake carries considerable international pedigree: Goode, Lewis, Reid and Shields have all represented England Under-18s, while Tamani and Tonga’uiha have featured for England Under-19s.

Academy head coach Charlie Reed praised both the ability and the temperament of the new group. “What the senior coaches are getting with this group of lads is a mixture of great personalities and a variety of talent across the board,” he said.

Reed acknowledged that several players had been hampered by injury during the Academy League campaign but expressed confidence in their resilience. “A lot of these players have been out through our Academy League fixtures through injury, but each of them, from a character point of view, has the potential to step up into a professional set-up,” he said. “That’ll be the biggest challenge for them coming into the senior environment, making sure that they drive their own development to realise that potential and get to grips with a professional set-up. I’ve no doubt that these lads will cope with that challenge and I’m excited to see what they can achieve.”