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Saints HC 2000 Players 5 Years On

Simon Robinson
By Simon Robinson June 2 2005
It's now five years since that momentous day at Twickenham when Northampton won the Heineken Cup 9 - 8 against Munster. One of the starting fifteen still plays for the club, but what has happened to the rest? Here's a brief summary of who's gone where:

The Fowards

Garry Pagel - after retiring in 2001, he returned to his native South Africa where he returned to the family farm.
Federico Mendez - he left almost straight after the match at Twickenham, he's still playing for Mendoza in Argentina.
Matt Stewart - "Sarge", the London-born Scotland prop, left the Saints to join Bedford - as have many of the team.
Andy Newman - after leaving the Gardens, Andy has been playing for Celtic League side Neath/Swansea Ospreys.
Tim Rodber - "Mighty Tim" hung his boots up in 2001 and is now running a company with former Saint Harvey Thorneycroft.
Don Mackinnon - retired after playing for Glasgow, can be seen around Franklins Gardens on a regular basis.
Budge Pountney - after breaking his ankle against Cardiff in 2003, retired and is now Head Coach at Saints.
Pat Lam - the mercurial Saints captain returned to Newcastle, took up a coaching job with Scotland and then retired.

Dom Malone - left Franklin's Gardens for glorious Munster and ended up joining the rest of the old Saints at Bedford.
Alistair Hepher - Another ex-Saint plying his trade at Goldington Road, as a player/coach.
Ben Cohen - the only one left still playing for Northampton, Cohen won a World Cup winner's medal in 2003.
Matt Allen - Returned to the East Midlands to play for Bedford after a stint at Cardiff (where he broke Nick Beal's nose!)
Allan Bateman - returned to Wales to play (playing for Wales RL against Australia) and has retired, now coaching Bridgend RL.
Craig Moir - Goldington Road's glamour via the Borders "gluepot" for the Welsh-born Scotland winger.
Paul Grayson - the Saints' top points scorer has just retired from playing and assists Budge in the coaching duties at the Gardens.

So there you have it, of the starting fifteen, one third are at Bedford, another third have retired, two play elsewhere, two coach for Saints and only Cohen remains on the pitch for the former Champions of Europe. Hopefully he'll be joined by three dozen more in a couple of seasons' time!

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