'Massive potential' - Dowson delighted to see Haffar extend his Saints contract

Haffar joined Saints after being left out of work by the sad demise of London Irish, and he has certainly caught the eye since his arrival in Northampton last summer.

He made his debut from the bench in the impressive Investec Champions Cup victory at Glasgow Warriors in December.

The 22-year-old has now made a total of six appearances, including a first start for the club away to Exeter Chiefs, and has yet to taste defeat in Saints colours.

And Saints boss Dowson said: “Tarek is a very athletic player, but also hugely studious. He takes his time working out what he needs to do to get better.

“He lives with Chunya (Munga) and having that relationship at the club carrying over from their days at London Irish has been great for both of them, helping them to settle here.

“Tarek is a softly-spoken guy, but when he gets out on the pitch he wants to go forward, he is a very powerful scrummager, he thinks a lot about the game, and clearly he is very ambitious too.

“The competition between our looseheads is very strong, and that not only pushes all of them to get better as players, but also allows us to manage their minutes and not run them into the ground – Tarek has become a key member of that group.

“He’s coming out of his shell more and more which is fantastic to see. So, we are really excited about watching Tarek’s journey with us and seeing him realise his massive potential.”