Dowson finally gets his man as Saints sign Newcastle skipper Chick

Dowson has been chasing the signature of Chick for some time, and now the No.8 has agreed to make the move to Northampton ahead of next season.

The 28-year-old will arrive at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens this summer, ending a 16-year association with his boyhood club that has seen him clock up more than 150 senior appearances.

Chick has played more than 1,000 minutes of Gallagher Premiership rugby for the past four seasons and racked up a century of appearances in the league, alongside gaining a wealth of experience across both the domestic and European competitions with Newcastle.

He will help to fill the void left by Juarno Augustus, who is leaving Saints for Ulster this summer.

And Dowson has revealed he has been targeting Chick for some time.

The Saints boss said: “We initially spoke to Callum a few years ago and were impressed with him then. At that stage, he decided to stay in Newcastle and that loyalty speaks volumes about him – the way he’s captained that side, had a huge impact there with the way he plays and how he has led in that environment.

“We were in the market for a ball-carrying back row and Callum’s got those attributes in spades; his ball-carrying and ability to move the ball, then there are his defensive hits which we saw recently when we played against Newcastle.

“Callum’s an ambitious player, he’s played some international rugby, got a taste for it. He obviously wants more and we think he’s more than capable of returning to that England fold.

“He is a powerful man, but also Callum’s leadership and experience are key for us. He has got a lot of Premiership appearances; it can be a tough league to perform well in and he’s shown a huge amount of resilience throughout his time at Falcons.

"We love that grit and determination as well as his experience and are looking forward to getting him here.”