This time last year England were fretting over the lack of options at openside flanker. Two came along almost at once – Sam Underhill and Tom Curry – and a third has emerged this season after a long pupation, Lewis Ludlam.
The 23-year-old will make his 14th appearance of the campaign for Northampton at Wasps on Sunday, more than he managed in the previous two seasons but the major difference is that he has made 12 starts in the last four months, nine in the Premiership. He has been profiting from the expansive style favoured by the Saints’ director of rugby, Chris Boyd.
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“At the start of the season, I would have been ecstatic to have been in this position,” says Ludlam, who will make his ninth consecutive league start at the Ricoh Arena. “I did not imagine I would have played this number of games by now but, although I’m delighted at how the season has gone for me, I know there is a lot I have to improve on.”
Northampton have an array of back-row internationals, including James Haskell, Tom Wood and Heinrich Brüssow, but shortly after he arrived in Northampton from New Zealand Boyd said he would rather base selection on form than reputation as he looked to promote young players. While injuries to Haskell and Brüssow helped Ludlam break into the side, his performances have kept him there.
“There is a lot of competition in the back row but that works both ways,” Ludlam says. “It makes it harder to get into the team but as a young player there is a lot of experience to learn from. They have all shared their knowledge, which has helped me no end, and the coaches have shown faith in me.
“Energy underpins my game. I am a bit lighter than most [a shade over 17st and 6ft 3in] and not as athletic as others, but I make up for areas I am not so good at with high energy. Everything has been positive since Chris Boyd arrived, even when we were not getting the results we wanted. We are still finding the balance when it comes to risk-taking but I think you can start to see a bit of the Hurricanes landing at the Saints. We are a way off where we want to be but in the last couple of matches [victories at Worcester and home to Exeter] there were signs that it is starting to click.”
It is 10 years since Ludlam arrived at Northampton. He was born in Ipswich, not renowned as a rugby stronghold. “My family were into boxing and football,” he says. “No one had ever played rugby but my parents thought I should break with tradition and try something new. When England won the World Cup in 2003, rugby seemed the obvious option and I have played ever since.”
Ludlam joined the Saints’ academy when he was 13, spotted playing for St Joseph’s, a school in the town. “I was dropped when I was 15 due to my size and not quite being there in terms of skill,” he said. “They told me to go away and work hard. It was a defining moment: it made me more confrontational and I started to enjoy my rugby again. I played for Colchester and within a couple of years I was back at Northampton.”
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Ludlam played for England Under-18s and in the 2015 World Rugby Under-20 Championship final against New Zealand in Italy, alongside Ellis Genge and Charlie Ewels, after which he was named England’s player of the tournament. He has been slower than a number of contemporaries in establishing himself in the Premiership but he can at last dare to dream.
“Playing for England would be brilliant but it is not something I am thinking about,” says Ludlam, whose work at the breakdown and perpetual motion are an ideal fit for Boyd’s way of playing. “I just want to be better than last week and if I continue like that, the rest can look after itself. I have my head down, working hard. I like playing at 7, making tackles and competing at breakdowns, but I have played across the back row. I am just glad to be playing.”
Northampton are looking for a third successive league victory, something they have not achieved since September 2017 when they were at the top of the Premiership. “Confidence goes a long way,” Ludlam says. “It was good to go into the new year on a bit of a high but the task is to keep getting better.”