Craig Wright: I want to grab every opportunity at Northampton Saints and with England

Craig Wright is a hooker in a hurry. Not yet 22, the Northampton Saints forward has played in a Champions Cup final after being capped at Under-20 level and a number of stirring displays this season have pushed him into the England A conversation.

Wright has taken advantage of Curtis Langdon’s injury to establish himself at Northampton, where he signed his first professional contract a day before his 18th birthday.

“I am a lot more confident than I was last season,” said Wright, who was born in Chelmsford. “I am making more starts and my game has flourished.

“My defence needed work and it has become part of my game now along with carrying as much as possible, getting around the park and being strong in the set-pieces.

Head butt

“I have always had a bit of pace, but I have put on a bit of weight to help me in other areas. I can still beat a few backs in training, but I am not so sure about a Henry Pollock kick and chase.

“Pollock is loud before a match and gets me going. He gave me a head butt before the game in Pau and put me in the right mindset.

“I can get very hot-headed and aggressive on the pitch and need to calm down as much as I can. It is about finding the switch.”

Wright was late taking up rugby, coming from an area where the game does not have a large footprint.

“I was in Ipswich Town’s academy as a goalkeeper and did not have a clue about rugby,” he said. “I fell out of love with football because I wanted to tackle people.

“When I was 12, I got involved in the school rugby team. My dad (Clinton) was a championship motor cross rider and I was big into that, but signing with Saints meant I could not ride a motor bike any more.

“My dad took me to Colchester and Bedford where Northampton had training camps and it was good to be in a set-up where everyone had the same passion as me.

“I used to be hard on myself as a goalkeeper before realising it was not always my fault. The coaches at Northampton do not blame you for making an error, encouraging you to just get on with it.”

Craig Wright of Northampton Saints
PICTURE: Getty Images

Opportunity

Wright started three of Northampton’s four Champions Cup pool matches, including Bordeaux-Begles away, and as well as a few in the Premiership, including the victory over Sale when he started with the velocity of a popped champagne cork.

He added: “I look to grab every opportunity in both hands – I am 21 and starting in the front row for a top club, a very welcome surprise for me this season.

“I had some great mentors here, Mikey Haywood, Sam Matavesi and Tom Cruse, and now it is about being as consistent as I can be.

“A few of my Under-20 mates have played for England A and I would like to emulate them, but I have to make sure that all the fundamentals of a hooker’s game are in place and paint a good picture.”