Dingwall relishing his opportunity in Saints midfield
HOME-GROWN defensive dervish Fraser Dingwall is determined to prove why Northampton need not break the bank to find a replacement for former Wallaby Rob Horne.
Horne’s unfortunate retirement because of paralysis in his right arm left Saints with a mammoth void to fill. However, Dingwall – a defensive linchpin for England U20s in June – is relishing the opportunity to fill the gap.
Dingwall, 19, who came off the bench in defeat to Leicester last weekend, told
The Rugby Paper: “There’s competition at the club but the nature of sport means opportunities can arise through injury. “What happened to Rob,
right, was tragic because he was a standout for Saints last season and was a really good mentor to me. He spoke really well, led superbly and I learned so much from the way he stood up and delivered.
“But if there is a bittersweet side it’s that I may get a chance and I want to get my head down, work hard and when opportunities arise, I’ll try to take them.”
Dingwall’s tackling and back-line leadership came to the fore during England’s march to the Junior World Cup final in France.
Having been handed a Premiership debut against Leicester last weekend, he said: “I enjoy defence, which I guess is a bit odd, but I’ve played a lot recently at No.13 and enjoy that leadership role and having an edge in my game.
“It’s not necessarily about being flash, there are lots of jobs you can do for the team and someone who epitomised that was New Zealand’s Conrad Smith. “I’m not naturally the biggest, but Smith wasn’t the biggest player either and his organisational ability was superb. I’m working hard on adding size, strength and speed and am always look to improve my tackling and defence.”
While Saints won just two of their opening six Premiership games, Dingwall added: “We’re a young group who are evolving under new coaches, but you can definitely see improvement each week.
“We were frustrated about losing to Leicester last week but under Chris Boyd and Sam Vesty we are looking to move the ball and recognise space. I’m enjoying working with Sam and the responsibility I’m being given.”