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Northampton Saints Rugby Football Club, England

image by Ivan Sache, 12 April 2010

Northampton Saints

Northampton Saints

Northampton RFC was founded in 1880, as Northampton St. James by Reverend Samuel Wathen Wigg, curate of St. James Church, therefore the nickname of the club, "Saints" or "Jimmy's". When English rugby turned professional in 1995, the club was purchased by the local entrepreneur Keith Barwell. Coached by former local player John Steele, the Saints won the European Rugby Cup in 2000, edging out Munster (Ireland) 9-8, and the European Challenge in 2009, defeating Bourgoin-Jallieu (France) 15-3.
- Saints' official website

The official supporters' flag, as sold on the Saints' online shop, is vertically divided green-yellow-black-yellow-green-yellow-black-yellow-green, the yellow stripes being twice narrower than the green and black ones, with the club's arms in the middle.
http://shop.northamptonsaints.co.uk/product.php?productid=905&cat=45&page=1 - Flag for sale
http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/3831_5862.php - Photo of the flag

image by Ivan Sache, 12 April 2010

During the quarters of the European Rugby Cup lost against Munster (19-33) in the Thomond Stadium of Limerick, 10 April 2010, the Saints' supporters used a simpler flag, vertically divided black-yellow-green with the club's arms in the middle, skewed to the top of the flag.

Originally playing in black and green, the Saints wore for the first time black-green-gold jerseys in 1905, when playing against the touring All Blacks. The arms of the Saints is made of a shield sable charged with a castle argent flanked by two lions or winged and nimbed argent. A rose gules slipped vert is placed under the castle. Three scallops or are placed in the base of the shield, which surmounts a scroll or charged with "NORTHAMPTON RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB" in letter sable. These arms are based on the arms of Northampton, "Gules on a mount vert a tower triple-towered argent the portcullis raised or supported by two lions rampant guardant of the last." The modifications used on the Saints' arms allude to the origin of the club (the wings and nimbs for the Saints, the scallops for St. James).
http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/northants.html
Ivan Sache, 12 April 2010

image by Ivan Sache, 4 May 2011

During the semi-final of the Heineken Cup won on 1 May 2011 over Perpignan (23-7), the club's supporters used, beside the vertically divided flag with the badge in the middle, a flag horizontally divided green-black-green with a yellow fimbriation separating the green and black fields.
Ivan Sache, 4 May 2011