Furbank to leave Saints

Northampton Saints have chosen the week of a European quarter-final to confirm that George Furbank will leave at the end of the 2025/26 season, which means Friday’s trip to Bath now comes with a farewell storyline attached to one of the club’s longest-serving players. The match is set for 20:00 on Friday, April 10, at the Recreation Ground in Bath. (northamptonsaints.co.uk, northamptonsaints.co.uk) Saints are not talking about a fringe player leaving. Furbank is the club captain, he came through Northampton’s academy system, and the club says he has made 140 appearances and scored 283 points for Saints since his senior debut against Exeter Chiefs in November 2017. (northamptonsaints.co.uk, northamptonsaints.co.uk) His route into the first team was local and linear rather than imported and instant. Saints say he developed at Huntingdon Rugby Football Club and Bedford School, signed his first professional deal in 2016, and was appointed the club’s 66th captain before the 2024/25 season. (northamptonsaints.co.uk) He also became an England international while wearing a Saints shirt. England Rugby lists Furbank with 14 Test caps after a debut in the 2020 Six Nations, which turned him from a club regular into a player with national-team status. (englandrugby.com) The timing is awkward because Northampton are still alive in the Investec Champions Cup, which is Europe’s top club competition. The official tournament site has Saints in the quarter-finals after a 49-41 round-of-16 win over Castres Olympique, and now facing Bath on April 10. (epcrugby.com, skysports.com) Bath are not just the next opponent on the list. Bath Rugby says the quarter-final is under Friday-night lights at The Rec, and European knockout games at that stage are single-elimination, so one bad night ends the run immediately. (bathrugby.com, epcrugby.com) That gives the announcement a split-screen feel. On one side, Saints are preparing for one of their biggest matches of the season; on the other, they have confirmed that the captain leading them into it will be gone once the 2025/26 campaign ends. (northamptonsaints.co.uk, northamptonsaints.co.uk) It also closes a chapter that lasted longer than the headline suggests. Saints’ own records show Furbank reached 100 club appearances in September 2023 against Bath, and his current total has now climbed to 140, which puts this exit in the category of a core squad figure rather than a routine summer departure. (northamptonsaints.co.uk, northamptonsaints.co.uk) There is still rugby left before the goodbye becomes real. England Rugby’s player log shows Furbank was in the Saints side for the April 3 win over Castres and has continued to contribute during the 2025/26 season, so Northampton’s season now runs with a clear countdown attached to one of its most familiar names. (englandrugby.com, northamptonsaints.co.uk)