Iyogun pens new Northampton Saints contract

Emmanuel Iyogun has signed a new long-term contract with Northampton Saints which sees the 21-year-old prop extend his stay at the Club.

The loosehead has made 25 appearances in three seasons in Black, Green and Gold since making his debut back in 2020, and after putting pen to paper on a new deal, Iyogun will remain part of Phil Dowson’s squad beyond the end of the 2022/23 season.

He was named the Club’s Breakthrough Player of the Season in his debut campaign in 2019/20, having burst into the spotlight with a string of fine performances for the senior side in the Gallagher Premiership and Heineken Champions Cup aged just 19.

Since then, Iyogun has become one of Northampton’s front-line looseheads, making 20 appearances during the 2021/22 season alone and starting the Premiership semi-final clash against Leicester Tigers.

“I’m really excited to sign on again with Saints,” he said. “Northampton has always been my Club, and choosing to stay within this environment, as part of such a tight-knit squad, was an easy decision to make.

“I trust the Club’s coaches completely; they helped me make the call to switch into the front row when I joined the Senior Academy, and have been with me every step of the way since to support my development.

“I still have a lot to learn but I am looking forward to hopefully repaying the faith the coaches have shown in me, and playing my part in the Club winning some silverware for our supporters in the years ahead.”

Iyogun came through the Club’s Academy set-up, initially playing two years above his age group in the back row for Saints’ Under-18s side, before earning his first professional contract ahead of the 2019/20 season and transitioning into the front row under the guidance of scrum coach, Matt Ferguson.

He earned international recognition during that debut campaign, featuring for England at loosehead throughout the 2020 Under-20s Six Nations Championship, including an appearance against Ireland at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

But after coming on leaps and bounds over the last three seasons, Director of Rugby Phil Dowson is relishing the prospect of seeing Iyogun continue in Black, Green and Gold.

He said: “Without doubt Manny is a now top-level loosehead. He’s an exceptional athlete and rugby player, who will continue to develop because he has the right mindset and is determined to get better.

“He drives himself and those around him in the loosehead group to improve, and it’s been great to see him take on more of a leadership role within the front row.

“Manny is also a very, very coachable player – he’s bright and he works really hard. You can see that clearly; it’s easy to forget that only three years ago he transitioned into the front row, but already he’s a real handful at scrum time, a brilliant ball carrier and a strong defender.

“His athleticism gets him into positions that are exceptional for a loosehead, and when you look at the best props around the league – specifically how much they contribute away from the scrum – we think Manny has the potential to be right up with the best of them.

“Credit has to go to Matt Ferguson too for all the work he’s done with Manny over the last few years, as well as Mark Hopley and James Craig for bringing him through the Academy and helping him grow as a player.”