Double boost for Saints

Sharks make Wales No.8 their latest addition

Northampton confirm deals for Sempere and Craig

Heineken Cup finalists Northampton have bolstered their squad with the signings of Cesar Sempere and James Craig.

Spain full-back Sempere makes the move from Nottingham, while 22-year-old lock Craig joins from Leeds.
Sempere, 27, has previously played for Montpellier while he scored against the Saints in a pre-season friendly back in August - and he is now looking forward to playing at the top level.
Sempere, who has scored 22 tries in 34 Tests, said: "For me the Saints is one of the best teams in the Premiership.
"It is a great opportunity for me to show what I can do. I like to play with the ball in hand from everywhere, which is why I'm looking forward to playing in a team like Northampton. I enjoyed the game last August and the stadium seemed like a good place to play.
"Nottingham has been a good place to play and the club has good coaches and people there.

Buzz

"It was my first experience in England and they made me feel very welcome. But the opportunity from Northampton was too good to turn down and I'm looking forward to playing there next season."
Craig, a product of the Leeds academy, has won England age group honours, while he also scored against Northampton in a LV= Cup clash.
And although sad to be leaving Leeds, he can't wait to play for the Saints.
"There are obviously a lot of people at Leeds who have helped me with my career and I owe them a lot of thanks," he said.
"But now I'm massively looking forward to coming down to the Saints. The guys who I know here like Calum Clark and Scott Armstrong have told me that it's a great place to be, and visiting the club you can feel a buzz around the place, especially with the massive two or three weeks that are coming up. Hopefully I can help get the club to a similar place next year.
"The support you get with things like the conditioning is a massive help and it means that I can concentrate on nothing but developing my rugby.
"Hopefully the way I play will fit in with the way the team plays here. And with the full houses and great fans that follow the Saints it's a great place to play rugby."