Saints sign hooker Tom Cruse until end of 2022/23 season

Northampton Saints have secured the signing of hooker Tom Cruse until the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

Cruse, 33, signs as injury cover and brings eight seasons of Gallagher Premiership experience with him to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

A reliable set-piece operator and mobile front rower, Cruse made 114 appearances and scored 21 tries for Wasps in six full seasons, before the club was placed into administration in 2022.

“Tom will bring a huge amount of experience and quality to our group, so we’re delighted to have him on board,” said Saints’ Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson. “He’s a tough player and very consistent in the set-piece area as well..."

The 100kg hooker began his career with local club Stockport, rising through the ranks in Sale Sharks’ academy and impressing with Macclesfield in National Two North before securing a move to Championship outfit Rotherham Titans – during a two-season spell at Clifton Lane, Cruse scored 11 tries in 44 appearances, and was named in the Championship Dream Team as the league’s stand-out hooker.

That caught the attention of London Irish, where he made 14 appearances during the 2015/16 season, before a move to Wasps beckoned. Cruse was named the club’s Players’ Player of the Season during the 2017/18 campaign when he racked up 24 appearances and seven tries.

Cruse joins the men in Black, Green and Gold from United Rugby Championship side Edinburgh Rugby, having moved north of the border on a short-term deal earlier this season. He also played for the Barbarians against Bath Rugby in November, starting for the invitational side as they claimed a last-minute win.