To see what Callum Chick brings to any side he plays in, watch the 55th minute of Northampton’s electrifying win at the Rec last Saturday. Henry Arundell is speeding down the Bath right, nearly into Saints’ 22, after a defensive error by Henry Pollock. A try for the champions looks a certainty before the flanker desperately dives at Arundell and dislodges the ball from his grasp.
A dextrous pick-up by George Hendy allows him to sprint downfield before setting up Pollock to dive over – 13 seconds after Arundell was threatening at the other end.
“I showed that clip [to the squad] a couple of times,” said Northampton’s director of rugby, Phil Dowson, while preparing to meet Harlequins at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday. “I wanted to highlight the work of Chicky, chugging back as fast as he possibly could and just about getting a hand on him.
“That effort, that hustle back and chasing lost causes is what gave us the opportunity to re-apply pressure and go the length. It’s those small things – the ability to stick at it.”
Chick concedes he can’t take credit for the try – “I sat on the floor and watched Hendy run 80 metres” – but says Northampton scoring in such ruthless fashion from a turnover is no accident: “We pride ourselves on being one of the hardest-working teams off the ball. Those turnover opportunities or where the ball’s on the ground can be the best. We practise it in training and speak about it all the time so it isn’t just luck, it’s a skill we practice and learn.”
The combative back-rower left Newcastle last summer after a decade, citing his ambition to add to the two England caps he won under Eddie Jones in 2021. Having endured some difficult days last season, Northampton are riding high in the Prem and the 29-year-old’s arrival is one reason they have become harder to beat.
“There’s a hard edge to the pack,” he says. “If you look at some of the stats around dominant carries and dominant tackles we’re top, or near top, in all of them.” Northampton do indeed lead the way for dominant contacts, dominant carries and dominant tackles.
“People like [South African lock] JJ van der Mescht, who’s a big human, really help with that. They are a bunch of good blokes who want to work hard for each other. You can have 15 fantastic rugby players who don’t want to be there and you’re terrible.”
Swapping Newcastle for Northampton must have been a culture shock although his fellow geordie, the prop Trevor Davison, has helped Chick settle in. What does he do for fun in his new home town? “That’s a great question,” he says. “When you find something, will you let me know?
“I’m not going to lie, it’s a great town, but there’s not a huge amount to do. I live with [fellow flanker] Josh Kemeny so spend time with him and we get on really well. We go for the odd coffee or to the sauna.”
On a more serious note, Chick explains how the rugby-obsessed Saints fans have welcomed him: “Everyone’s lovely. If you wander the streets people say: ‘Well done’ or ‘How’s it going?’ It’s a bit different from Newcastle in that sense, that’s a very football-dominated city so you could wander about town pretty inconspicuously.
“Northampton is really nice and everyone comes down on a Saturday – it’s another sellout this weekend. They love their rugby and that community feel makes all the difference.”
Saints appear well-equipped for an assault on domestic and European silverware – Dowson rested several key players for the victory in Bath – and Chick knows that will be crucial come spring. “It’s a long season so rotation and having that strength in depth is really important,” he says. “To get to knockout rugby you have to win games. But when knockout rugby comes, if you’ve had the chance to rotate and keep boys fresh, you’re in a much better place than if you’ve flogged everyone for six to seven months.”
The former Newcastle captain is happy to see his boyhood club enter an exciting new era as the Red Bulls – “hugely important and hugely exciting for the area”, he says. “The players and fans deserve it, but on a deeper level it was looking pretty ominous at the end of last year for people having jobs. Just to keep people employed is hugely important. They’ve done so much work over many years and it would have been horrible to see it go.”
Newcastle will always have a place in Chick’s heart, but victory over Harlequins – and keeping Northampton on top – is all that matters now.
