James Martin (rugby union)

James Martin

Born	(1999-07-31) 31 July 1999 (age 26) [1]
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	99 kg (218 lb; 15 st 8 lb) [2]
Rugby union career
Position Winger Youth career Leicester Tigers Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2019–2025 Coventry 2025– Northampton Saints Correct as of 5 October 2025

James Martin (born 31 July 1999) is an English professional rugby union footballer who plays as a winger for Premiership Rugby club Northampton Saints.

Career

Martin began playing rugby union at the age of five-year-old at Sleaford RFC before later joining the rugby academy at Leicester Tigers in 2017. He also played for Hinckley RFC and in New Zealand for the North Harbour Development Team in Auckland, but his early career was hampered by a serious shoulder injury. ^[3]

Returning to play in England, Martin played regularly in the RFU Championship for Coventry from 2019 until 2025, scoring 44 tries in 82 appearances. ^{[4] [5]}

Martin joined Northampton Saints ahead of the 2025-26 season. ^[6] Upon his signing in July 2025, Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson described Martin as having been "a standout player in the Championship over the past couple of seasons" who had shown "consistently that he's an excellent finisher". ^[7] He made his Rugby Premiership debut for Northampton against Gloucester Rugby on 4 October 2025 in a 37-35 away victory for his side. ^{[8] [9]}

References

1. "James Martin". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
2. "James Martin". All.Rugby. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
3. Sansom, Tom (7 July 2025). "Northampton Saints sign stand-out Championship winger ahead of new season". Ruck.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
4. Sutcliffe, Aaron (9 July 2025). "RUGBY UNION - Coventry Rugby winger James Martin joins Northampton Saints". Coventry Observer. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
5. Vickers, Tom (5 July 2025). "Prolific winger Martin so excited to be able to join Saints". Northampton Chronicle. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
6. Vickers, Tom (5 July 2025). "Coventry winger signs for Saints as Loughborough ace arrives on trial". Northampton Chronicle. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
7. "Northampton Saints sign Coventry winger Martin". BBC Sport. 5 July 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
8. "Gloucester vs. Northampton Saints 35-37". BBC Sport. 4 Oct 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
9. "Chick captains Northampton Saints for PREM clash at Gloucester Rugby". Ultimate Rugby. October 3, 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.