Alex Mitchell signs on again for Northampton Saints

Northampton Saints can today confirm that Alex Mitchell has signed a contract extension to remain at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

An 11-cap England international and 119-time Saint, 26-year-old Mitchell has enjoyed a meteoric rise since graduating from Saints’ Academy ranks – climbing all the way from his senior debut in Black, Green and Gold in 2017 to donning the No.9 shirt for England in a Rugby World Cup semi-final just over two months ago.

Maidstone-born Mitchell originally signed with Saints Academy in 2015 from Sale Sharks. A senior debut for Northampton came against Saracens in the 2016/17 season opener, and Mitchell would go on to make nine appearances in his fledgling season.

A breakthrough campaign in 2018/19 saw the scrum-half feature 30 times as Saints also claimed the Premiership Rugby Cup title (the Club’s first silverware for five years) by downing Saracens on home soil in the final.

The 2021/22 season was a particularly memorable one for Mitchell, as he scored 12 tries in 28 starting appearances and won his first senior international cap for England, grabbing a debut try against Tonga at Twickenham Stadium.

Mitchell claimed both of the Club’s Players’ and Supporters’ Player of the Season awards that term and has since notched up over 100 appearances in the Black, Green and Gold jersey – the milestone coming against Exeter Chiefs in November 2022.

“Choosing to stay at Saints was an easy decision for me,” said Mitchell. “This Club is very special; the coaches, staff and supporters have had my back from day one, and I can’t think of anywhere better to be playing my rugby.

“Playing alongside lads I’ve grown up with week in, week out means a lot to me and I’m loving being a part of this environment and a maturing group of players.

“Everything that Phil Dowson, Sam Vesty and the rest of the coaches are trying to achieve is so clear, everyone – on and off the pitch – is pulling in the same direction and I think you’ve been able to see that hard work paying off over the last few months.

“We’re an ambitious group, we want to win things together, and we’re pushing hard for that this season and beyond. And that’s exactly the kind of environment that I want to be in.

“This has been a huge year already for me personally and I’m excited about what else is to come, with both Saints and England, over the next few seasons.”

England international Mitchell – who has previously represented his country at Under-16, Under-17, Under-18 and Under-20 level, as well as featuring in a non-cap England match against Barbarians in 2019 – has won 11 caps for the Red Rose to date.

While the scrum-half initially missed out on a place in Steve Borthwick’s 2023 Rugby World Cup squad, Mitchell was called into the side as injury cover and went on to start five of England’s seven matches in the tournament – including both the quarter-final against Fiji and the semi-final against South Africa.

And Saints’ Director of Rugby Phil Dowson is delighted to see the England international commit his future to Northampton.

He said: “Getting the ball up and playing fast is a crucial part of our DNA here at Saints, and Mitch is a huge driver of that.

“He’s very good at creating and attacking space, particularly around the fringes, and his desire to improve is palpable. You can see how hard he’s worked on his kicking game for example; playing international rugby, it is evident how strong that is now.

“There are still areas he’s working on in his game, both for Northampton and for England, and I’ve no doubt he’ll continue to get better and better.

“He’s still young, and there’s not another scrum-half in the Premiership who attacks the fringes like he does. You can always hear opposition teams calling him out in defence as he is such a fulcrum for us going forward.

“Alex is a massive signing for us; he’s one of the most talented scrum-halves in the world, and a big part of where we want this Club to go. So, we’re delighted that he’s so invested in what we’re doing and has signed on to remain part of this group moving forwards.”