Dickson notches 100 for Northampton Saints
Lee Dickson will become the second Saint to hit a hundred appearances when he runs out to face Saracens when Aviva Premiership Rugby resumes at Franklin’s Gardens tomorrow evening.
The 26-year-old scrum-half will hit the three-figure appearance mark just over three years after he arrived at Franklin’s Gardens from Newcastle Falcons. In that time he has helped the Saints win the European Challenge Cup and LV= Cup and earlier this year he played in the Heineken Cup final.
“I’m delighted to reach the milestone and surprised and grateful that it’s come so quickly in my time at the Saints,” Dickson said. “It’s certainly an honour to get to a hundred appearances. I’ve really enjoyed my time at Franklin’s Gardens, and while there are some obvious highlights like making my debut, winning the two trophies, playing in the Heineken Cup final and scoring in the quarter final, what matters just as much to me is the day-to-day camaraderie and atmosphere that we have in the squad.
“We play with our mates, we play for our mates, and represent some great fans who help make this club special.”
Director of rugby Jim Mallinder paid tribute to Lee’s longevity and determination in helping him reach the milestone.
“Lee is a good person to have around the squad,” he said. “His enthusiasm is infectious and he sets himself very high standards, something which also has a good effect on the other players in the squad.”
Turning his attention to Saturday’s match, Mallinder commented that there will have to be a massive improvement from the Saints if they are to get a positive result against the reigning Aviva Premiership Rugby champions.
“We have to be a lot better against Saracens, pure and simple,” he added. “Although our discipline was excellent against the Scarlets and we finished off our chances we gifted them too many tries and turned the ball over far too many times. Saracens have a team full of quality players who will punish our mistakes.
“But we have been very pleased with the attitude in training this week. All of the players have worked hard and are determined to get back to the standards we expect of ourselves this weekend.”