Northampton have handed first-team contracts to academy graduates Jamie Elliott, Ben Nutley and Mike Haywood.
Elliott, Nutley and Haywood promoted from academy
Northampton have handed first-team contracts to academy graduates Jamie Elliott, Ben Nutley and Mike Haywood.
The trio, who have all been capped by England Under-20s, have agreed two-year deals at Franklin's Gardens after establishing themselves as key players over the past two seasons.
Winger Elliott, 19, underlined his potential with two tries in this season's Heineken Cup clash in Castres.
Fellow 19-year-old Nutley made his Heineken Cup debut in the same game, with the flanker having impressed during Tom Wood's World Cup commitments.
Haywood is another to shine during the World Cup, with the hooker getting valuable game time during Dylan Hartley's absence.
And Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder believes the promotion of the trio is a credit to the academy set-up at the club.
Success
"Players like Jamie, Ben and Mike are the future lifeblood of Northampton Saints," he said.
"It is always good to have players in the squad who the fans can see as being their own having watched their development over a number of years.
"The players themselves have grown up in the culture of the club and we have seen how vital that is to the on-going success of other teams that have been at the top of their leagues for a number of years.
"More importantly, all three have shown that they are ready for first team rugby and have the quality to be able to compete at the highest levels of Aviva Premiership Rugby and the Heineken Cup.
"It speaks volumes for the work being done by Alan Dickens and Mark Hopley and the rest of the academy coaches and I'm delighted that Jamie, Ben and Mike have signed full contracts with us."
