Millar Mills reflects on 'remarkable year' after signing new contract at Saints

The tighthead prop has made 16 appearances for the black, green and gold to date, having initially arrived in Northampton on a trial basis towards the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

The 31-year-old joined Saints during an unsettled season in which he represented Edinburgh, Bath and the Barbarians, having started the campaign with Wasps before the club went into administration.

Millar Mills made his Saints debut in the opening round of this season’s Premiership Rugby Cup against Ealing Trailfinders and has not looked back since.

So much so that an impressive string of performances for Saints led to a Scotland debut last month in the Six Nations.

And Millar Mills says international recognition would not have been possible without his switch to Saints.

In fact, he admits he may even have opted to call time on his career had the black, green and gold not come calling.

“I’m really enjoying the day-to-day at Saints with the group we’ve got here, and the style of play is a lot of fun, so I’m delighted to extend my contract for longer," Millar Mills said.

“I’ve got a young family who are really settled here in Northampton, and Saints have been so welcoming for them, which makes a huge difference.

"I also love playing at cinch Stadium in front of Saints’ crowd – this is a proper rugby club, I’d never experienced a home crowd like it until this season at the Gardens.

“The coaches have also been fantastic with me, and that’s definitely a factor in wanting to stay, as I don’t think I would be managed better anywhere else.

"Radders (Lee Radford) has put a lot of energy into helping me get better in defence, Ferg )(Matt Ferguson) has helped me with scrummaging and nailing down how I should be operating around the park, while Kempy (Chris Kemp) got me in the best condition possible through a tough strongman pre-season.

“It’s all still very new and I’ve not given it too much thought, but it’s pretty cool to be able to call myself a Scottish international now. I wouldn’t have done it without Saints. That’s not just down to the team and the coaching – this time last year, I didn’t have a job.

“If Saints hadn’t have come in, I might have been done with rugby, so it’s been a remarkable year.

"I hope we can do something special together by the end of this season.”