Northampton Saints
News: Ford Motors to Franklin's Gardens
By COYSDC
April 13 2010
Northampton Saints today announced that Joe Ford will be wearing the black, green and gold next season.
Over the past few months the 19-year-old fly half has emerged as one of the brightest English talents in the Guinness Premiership.
After coming through the ranks of the Leeds Carnegie academy, Ford burst into senior rugby with a man-of-the-match performance against Leicester in the LV= Cup last November. He scored 18 points that afternoon, including an eye-catching try, and has gone on to show an increased assurance in the Guinness Premiership, notably in Leeds' recent win over Saracens.
Ford joined the Leeds academy from Rishworth School and was part of the club's Under-19 team that won the Yorkshire Cup in 2009, beating four senior sides along the way. He is also regarded as a meticulous goal kicker and his 75 percent success rate is the fifth-best in the 2009/10 Guinness Premiership.
Director of rugby Jim Mallinder is delighted to have secured Ford's signature.
"This season Joe has been one of the stand-out young players in the Guinness Premiership," he said. "Although he is still in his teens he has demonstrated a good rugby brain in the games that he has played. He has also performed under pressure against some top teams and that points to a bright future in the game.
"Joe will be joining Stephen Myler and Shane Geraghty in competing for a first team shirt next season. Having three players of this quality will only be good for the club as we look to remain competitive at the top end of the Guinness Premiership and in the Heineken Cup."
Ford meanwhile is looking forward to the challenge ahead of him at Franklin's Gardens.
"I'm looking forward to joining one of the biggest clubs in the country and working with the coaches, Jim Mallinder, Dorian West and Paul Grayson," he said. "I've got a lot of things to work on and hopefully Paul can make me a better player and hopefully if he can do half of what he's done with Stephen Myler and Shane Geraghty it will be great.
"The Premiership has been a massive step up. It is also something I'm enjoying and I want to play more of it in the next few years. The possibility of playing in the Heineken Cup is also massive. But I'm not underestimating how hard it will be to get in the team. I'm going to get my head down and hopefully get my chance in the big games.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform and am always looking for that perfect performance. I just want to put the things I've worked on in the week into practice.
"Leeds have been great with me. [Academy manager] Diccon Edwards helped me with my development and Andy Key and Neil Back gave me my chance and put a lot of faith in me. I'm definitely fully focused on helping Leeds stay in the Premiership over the next few weeks."
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2010:04:13:11:04:33 by Stockers.
Ford is already a quality player at a young age and will only get better playing at Franklins Gardens.
Come On You Saints
“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
Benjamin Franklin
Tetleys Block F E143
I'm sure this won't apply to our Ford though!
Is this the end of CLP then?
Come On You Saints
DrT is picking up his new bright orange ST Focus this afternoon... don't ask... sigh...
ClaireJ
RedHatPhoto.com review of 2015 photos here...
Buy photos from RedHatPhoto
13/04/2010 13:46
What is more interesting is that apparently there is a younger Ford version that our new man rates very highly.
13/04/2010 14:07
As to whether the management are correct in signing from elswhere rather than promoting from within I prefer to trust their judgement having coached and trained and possibly more importantly got to know the players, their attitude, temperament and ability to fit in. Rather than the judgement of someone who has seen them play a fair game for the Wandies a few times. No offence.
Saint til I die
Just a thought like....
Oh and welcome Joe
Much of the talk after the Munster game was of the lack of experience in the side not sure how signings like this improve that.
I would have thought we would have gone for more experience to give a better balance to experience v youth similar to we have in the second row.
Still as Howlin says the coaches know what they want for the progression of the side and they seem to have done extremely well on the recruiting front so far, so no reason to doubt their wisdom.
You can trust someone without understanding the reasons behind the logic. I trust the coaches, i just don't understand a few of the planned moves. Ive never been one to blindly follow the crowd.
Welcome Joe Ford, I hope you find Northampton to be everything you hoped it would be and you florish here.
You can't always get what you want, But if you try sometimes well you might find, You get what you need.
Richards/Jagger
Elsewhere we are getting experience with last weeks two second rowers.
You can't always get what you want, But if you try sometimes well you might find, You get what you need.
Richards/Jagger
Quote:St Owen
If he wants to come it won't matter.
he does ............. today
lets not start that again ! looks like a good buy
Welcome Joe but I'm just confused. Why not just get some reward for the time and money invested in the academy.
andy: Geraghty at 12? It's a possibility... or he could become a 10/15. IIRC he did a decent job there in some match against Glaws fairly recently...
"Back also dismissed reports linking Northampton's 19-year-old fly-half Christian Lewis-Pratt with a move to Leeds.
"If you give me a million pounds to tell you who Lewis-Pratt is then I wouldn't be able to tell you. I don't know about it if that is happening," stated Back."
BBC interview
You can't always get what you want, But if you try sometimes well you might find, You get what you need.
Richards/Jagger
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