No fears for Saints centre Francis as he returns from his 'most severe' head injury

When it became clear that Piers Francis would be out of contract this summer, Saints supporters were understandably worried.
Piers Francis is using his head as he aims to avoid more injury issuesPiers Francis is using his head as he aims to avoid more injury issues
Piers Francis is using his head as he aims to avoid more injury issues

Because having initially struggled to find a home in a particular black, green and gold shirt, it is widely recognised by regular watchers of the Saints that Francis is now a key figure.

Having been signed by Jim Mallinder as a fly-half, Francis has gone on to establish himself as an inside centre.

His defensive qualities are undoubted and he also adds a fair amount of flair in attack.

Francis is enjoying being back in the mix at SaintsFrancis is enjoying being back in the mix at Saints
Francis is enjoying being back in the mix at Saints

He is the kind of midfield glue a free-flowing backline requires.

And last week the good news finally came.

Francis was on a list of 19 players who have agreed contract extensions at Franklin’s Gardens.

And the Gravesend-born player, who turned 30 last month, said: “It’s good to be continuing at the Saints and fingers crossed we can stay on schedule and get back playing soon.

The centre suffered a serious injury against London Irish in JanuaryThe centre suffered a serious injury against London Irish in January
The centre suffered a serious injury against London Irish in January

“It was an easy decision to stay at the club.

“I said a long time ago that I wanted to stay and continue my time here.

“The way these deals go on and with everything that’s happened with the pandemic, things seem to happen last minute.

“But it was always my intention to stay here and I’m massively motivated to continue to play for Northampton and put my best foot forward for England.

Francis has racked up 50 appearances for Saints so farFrancis has racked up 50 appearances for Saints so far
Francis has racked up 50 appearances for Saints so far

“Being in England gives you the opportunity to continue to put on the England jersey and it’s something I’m massively motivated by.

“But first and foremost, I’m delighted to be continuing at Northampton.

“Post-World Cup I had a couple of injuries but my body feels really good now and this enforced break will hopefully give me a good run for a while now so I’m excited.”

Injury issues are usually somewhere near the top of the agenda when speaking to Francis as he has been hugely unfortunate in that area since arriving at Saints.

The 30-year-old is on the comeback trailThe 30-year-old is on the comeback trail
The 30-year-old is on the comeback trail

He has managed to rack up 50 appearances - 45 of which have been starts - after joining from Super Rugby side the Blues in 2017.

But there would have undoubtedly been many more games in the black, green and gold for Francis had it not been for his injuries, a few of which have been concussions.

Francis suffered what he calls his ‘most severe head knock’ earlier this year as he was stretchered off on his 50th Saints appearance, against London Irish.

Many who saw the incident feared not only for Francis’s career but his health in general.

But the player said: “If I’m truthful from a personal perspective, I appreciated the severity of my last injury,but it didn’t worry me.

“I don’t get really prolonged effects of the injury.

Francis's physique caught the eye of Saints fans on social mediaFrancis's physique caught the eye of Saints fans on social media
Francis's physique caught the eye of Saints fans on social media

“It was a big contact at the time and it was probably the most severe head knock I’ve had and I was out for a while.

“But I’ve had various tests and we’ve discovered why I have been a bit more vulnerable to these so we’ve looked into that which is really good.

“Now I’m back up to the speeds I need to be at from a cognitive perspective to see some things and decisions a lot quicker than I was doing.

“It’s a learning experience and I now need to approach it better and I feel really good.”

So just how can Francis protect himself from future concussion problems?

“I’ve always thought I’ve been unlucky,” he said.

“I’m not the biggest of guys so I have to fly into contact my forcefully to put everything I’ve got behind me.

“But technically there’s always things to work on.

“We did also see from some neurological tests that some of my cognitive speeds were down from where I’d previously got to.

“Potentially coming into that game, my cognitive speeds were a bit slower than they should have been and it was probably an indication that I needed a longer break.

“As a player, you’re always knocking on the door to be put in the team.

“The club are always very good at trying to look after me, but I’m always pushing to say ‘I feel good, I feel good, I feel good’.

“But now I need to wait longer and make sure we’re not repeating the concussion stuff.

“But I feel like it’s behind me now and I’m good to go.”

Francis speaks warmly on the phone and with no hint of anxiety about the concussions that have hampered him during his time at Saints.

“If it does (make you worry) you’ve probably got to question what you’re doing and I’ve never done that,” he said.

“I don’t have headaches, I don’t continue to have headaches - things like that which would make me think ‘maybe there’s a problem here’ and question what I’m doing.

“It’s never crossed my mind and I’m just hugely motivated by the time I’ve lost through this.

“I’m just massively eager to get back playing and performing well.”

With Dan Biggar and James Grayson now competing for the Saints 10 shirt, Francis knows inside centre is where his future at the club lies.

And reflecting on his journey from 10 to 12 at Franklin’s Gardens, he said: “It’s probably like my whole life and career in that things aren’t as straightforward as they seem.

“I’m very happy to be pushing my case for the 12 jersey.

“Things were obviously different when I first signed because Dan wasn’t at the club at that point but they got him in.

“I’d spent a bit of time at 12 with the Blues before I joined and it’s become a relatively familiar jersey for me now.

“I’m excited to really push my case there.

“As long as we continue to play an expansive game, the role of playmaker suits me really well.”

Francis is one of the more experienced players in the Saints squad these days and he is delighted to be part of a squad that promises plenty in years to come.

But the England man, who made his Saints debut in October 17, says the time is now for trophies.

“It’s great to be building but us as a playing group want success now,” he said.

“You have to have an eye on the future but we sit fourth in this year’s comp and we’ve potentially got the opportunity to finish it off.

“If what we’re saying in the playing group is to win things, it’s not to win things in a few years, it’s to win things now.

“As much as we’re trying to build, we’re also excited about the here and now and getting some silverware in the cabinet soon.”

Saints resumed Stage 1 training on June 15 and Francis was pictured on the training pitches.

Many supporters commented on his physique, feeling the player had added a serious amount of muscle during his time in self-isolation.

And when asked about that, Francis said: “The scales aren’t showing I’ve put weight on but I’ve worked pretty hard over the past few months.

“I had some enforced time off prior to the pandemic and it hasn’t been the smoothest of returns since the World Cup.

“I was physically in a good place post-World Cup and I had the motivation to push on from it but then I’ve had a few obstacles to get over.

“I’ve worked hard by myself to get my body where I wanted to be so I can perform how I want to perform.

“At times, my body has been a bit sore and let me down in a few areas where I can’t put my best foot forward.

“This enforced break has allowed me to get to where I want to and hopefully I can put that on the pitch.”

If Francis can continue his upward curve at Saints, he knows England could come calling again.

He was part of the World Cup squad last year, making an appearance against the USA in the pool stages, and is clearly on Eddie Jones’ radar.

And Francis believes he is only going to get better during the duration of his new Saints deal.

He said: “I turned the ripe old age of 30 last month and from a playmaker’s perspective, I think the most exciting years are ahead of me.

“My body is feeling really good and my understanding of the game just keeps growing and growing, which is big from a playmaker’s perspective.”