Northampton Saints 2013/14 Premiership winning team: Where are they now?
Northampton Saints defeated Saracens in May 2014 at Twickenham to win their first Premiership title
Credit: David Rogers/Getty Images
When rugby fans think about the 2014 Premiership Final, images of Alex Waller crashing over for the winning score might be the first thing that springs to mind.
It was also the first grand final to go into extra time, with Northampton Saints beating Saracens 24-20 after 100 minutes of gripping play.
However, rugby is a team sport and although Waller took the limelight with the pivotal score, there were others who contributed to a famous victory.
Here is what the starting Northampton Saints starting XV in the 2014 Premiership Final is up to nowadays.
15 - Ben Foden
Before being recently voted off Dancing on Ice and appearing on Celebrity X Factor, Foden was a wonderful fullback capable of launching devastating counterattacks with his blistering pace.
He initially joined Northampton Saints on the promise of playing scrum-half, despite former coach at Sale Phillipe Saint-Andre stating he would “eat his beret” if 15 wasn’t Foden’s best position.
Ben Foden celebrates scoring in the 2011 Heineken Cup Final
Credit: Michael Steele/Getty Images
Transferring to the club in 2008, he would go on to make 250 appearances in the black, green and gold before moving to Rugby United New York in 2019.
As previously mentioned, the 34 times capped England man appeared on ITV’s ice skating show in January after hanging up his boots at the end of the last MLR season.
14 - Ken Pisi
Coming from good family stock, both his brothers - Tusi and George - played professionally and for Samoa.
A fleet-footed runner capable of slotting into any spot of the back three, he was also in the team that lifted the European Challenge Cup the same season.
Despite 138 Saints appearances, he only won 13 caps for Samoa but did feature for his country at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
He did not join another club after leaving Northampton in 2019, spending seven fruitful years with the club.
13 - George Pisi
Inside Ken was elder brother George, who first came to Europe as a medical joker from Clermont Auvergne in 2011.
In that summer, he moved to Northampton and quickly made a strong impression on the Franklin’s Gardens faithful.
Strong in defence with great distribution and capable of busting tackles, Pisi was the undisputed first choice in the 13 shirt when fit.
Pisi scored the Saints second try in the final when he latched onto Stephen Myler’s clever grubber behind the Wolfpack defence.
He actually played for New Zealand at U19 and U21 level, but made his debut for Samoa in June 2010 and featured at two World Cups.
He now lives back in New Zealand after turning out with the Western Force in 2018.
12 - Luther Burrell
A dual-code player, Burrell actually started out in league as a teenager and was on the books at Huddersfield Giants before a switch to Leeds Carnegie.
He won 15 caps for England and was the main casualty in selection for the 2015 Rugby World Cup as Sam Burgess was chosen ahead of him.
Burrell left Saints and union altogether in 2019 to join Warrington Wolves after seven seasons before returning to join Newcastle Falcons a year later.
Today, he remains a key member of the squad under Director of Rugby Dean Richards.
11 - George North
At just 29, it is incredible to think that North has already amassed 101 Wales caps - not to mention two British and Irish Lions Tours to boot.
Debuting for the Scarlets and Wales at the tender age of 18, he moved to the East Midlands three years later in 2013 for a reported fee of £200,000.
In his first season, he secured the Premiership and European Challenge Cup double and scored 38 tries in 90 appearances during his time at the Saints.
North signed a WRU Dual Contract, with the union funding 60% and a Welsh region footing the remainder, ahead of the 2017/18 season and currently plays for Ospreys.
Fluent in Welsh, the giant wing is married to Team GB Olympic silver medalist Becky James.
10 - Stephen Myler
Joining North at Ospreys is stand-off Myler at the grand old age of 37, fresh off a two-year spell with London Irish.
Despite his union pedigree, he comes from a famous league family as his father John played full back for Widnes Vikings and his uncle Tony is a former Widnes captain and GB International.
His great uncle is Frank Myler, who captained the last British side to win a series in Australia in 1970.
Stephen himself played for both Widnes and Salford City Reds before switching to Saints in 2006, establishing himself as a reliable performer both from the tee and ball in hand.
A one cap wonder for England, he slotted three successful conversions and a penalty in the 2014 Premiership Final - including converting Waller’s late try to give Saints a four point cushion.
9 - Kahn Fotuali'i
On his day, he was an electric presence from the base and capable of combing playmaking brilliance with pace and power.
Fotuali’i represented Samoa at two World Cups in 2011 and 2015, joining Saints in 2013 after a successful spell in the south of Wales with Ospreys.
He fought for the number nine shirt with England international Lee Dickson throughout his spell, getting the nod for the final against Saracens.
Three seasons at Bath was followed by one year in Montpellier, retiring after the Covid curtailed 2019/20 Top 14 season.
8 - Sam Dickinson
A very underrated player also capable of playing in the second row, Dickinson was a big ball carrier who would cover every blade of grass for his team.
He joined Rotherham Titans in 2009 and played 63 times in the Championship before moving to Northampton Saints three years later.
Just days after signing, he broke his arm and complications meant he only made his debut 18 months later.
Sam Dickinson on the charge against Wasps in 2016
Credit: Tony Marshall/Getty Images
Working his way into the team, Dickinson started ahead of England international Phil Dowson against Saracens back in 2014.
The burly forward dropped down to the Championship in 2018 with Ealing Trailfinders and departed before the start of last season.
7 - Tom Wood
Enjoying his twelfth year of service to Northampton Saints, Wood has racked up over 200 appearances for the team and featured in both the Premiership and Heineken Cup finals.
Wood was voted the 2011 Premiership Player of the Season, captaining the side three years later in their title-winning year.
A fierce tackler and combative backrower, Wood has 50 caps for England and was voted man of the match in a famous win over New Zealand in 2012.
Still at the top of his game, don’t rule out him signing another contract extension to take him into another year with Northampton.
6 - Calum Clark
A tough and uncompromising player, Clark was banned for 32 weeks in 2012 - the longest ban in English rugby history at the time - for hyper-extending Leicester Tigers hooker Rob Hawkins’ arm and causing a fractured elbow.
Debuting for Leeds Carnegie in 2007, he transferred to Saints three years later and earned his sole England cap while with the club.
Starting ahead of Phil Dowson in the 2014 Premiership Final, Clark would later join Saracens and remained with the club in their demotion to the Championship.
Clark retired as a player to take up the role of “well being and personal development manager” at the club after last season.
5 - Courtney Lawes
A bonafide, out and out Northampton Saints legend who recently notched up his 250th appearance in the famous jersey.
It goes along nicely with his 90 England caps and two British and Irish Lions tours to boot.
He’s come a mighty long way from the gangly 18-year-old who made his club debut against Esher in what was then known as National One before its rebrand.
A wrecking ball capable of slotting into the back row or lock, his game has evolved to become savvier at the breakdown and is also capable of deft handling as he approaches his elder years.
However, given his impressive physical shape and fitness, don’t rule out him still trotting out for Saints for several years to come yet.
4 - Samu Manoa
On his day, the American was absolutely box office.
Hands like shovels and blessed with the physique of an NFL tight end, what Manoa lacked in the finer details of forward play he made up for in all action running and offloading.
In the same game, he was capable of making bone shuddering hits, 40-metre busts and outrageous offloads.
In his day job, he was a concrete mixer turned tree-chopper and electrician before Saints’ chief scout Dusty Hare saw him playing for a United States A team against Saracens in 2010.
A contract was offered, which he jumped at, and four fantastic seasons later he was off to Toulon to join the Galacticos.
He won’t be forgotten at the Gardens anytime soon however and now lives back in the USA with his family.
3 - Salesi Ma’afu
Interestingly, Ma'afu's first Test cap was in 2010 against Fiji, where he had the challenge of marking his brother Campese - also on debut.
The pair became just the fourth set of brothers to oppose each other in Tests, and the first to achieve this feat when both were on debut.
Salesi earned 20 caps for the Wallabies before heading to the East Midlands, becoming a regular in the side and the cornerstone of a strong scrum.
More infamously, perhaps known in certain rugby quarters for his massive punch on Tom Youngs in the semi-final which earned him a red card.
Only banned for one week, he came straight back into the team and apologised to the Leicester captain in a humorous exchange on Twitter.
He is now a mentor and coach at Dallaglio RugbyWorks, founded by the former England number 8 to work with teenagers who are outside mainstream education.
2 - Mike Haywood
A shoulder injury meant former captain Dylan Hartley could only take a seat on the bench, but club stalwart Haywood let no one down in his place.
A product of the academy, the Southend-born hooker also started the European Challenge Cup final in the same season.
Hot on the heels of Lawes, he has racked up 236 appearances for the club and should end up north of 300 if he remains fit and healthy.
Despite often being second fiddle to Hartley, Haywood is a fine player who lets no one down with his work rate and tackling ability.
1 - Alex Corbisiero
A sad, sad case of what could have been as “Corbs” suffered badly with injuries and effectively retired at 27 when his Saints contract expired.
Despite that, 31 England caps and being a huge part of the victorious 2013 British and Irish Lions is not to be sniffed at whatsoever for the loosehead.
A fearsome scrummager, Corbisiero came through at London Irish before switching to Saints in 2013 and won the title in his first season.
After leaving the sport, the American born player made great strides for the sport in the USA with his analysis for NBC Sports coverage of the Premiership.
Corbisiero was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November 2019 and is fighting hard against the disease after a relapse in September 2020.