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Furbank targets fairytale end to Northampton careerImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, George Furbank joined Saints’ academy in 2015ByChris Jones
Captain George Furbank is targeting a “fairytale finish” with Northampton as his decade at the club ends on Saturday at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
Saints legend Furbank will leave his boyhood team to join Harlequins next season after failing to agree a new deal at Franklin’s Gardens.
The 29-year-old full-back will lead the side out in the Prem final against Exeter, and says there are no hard feelings despite the “tough conversations” around the contract stand-off.
“The more honest you are with each other, the less hard feelings there’s going to be,” he told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
“I think when they told me that they weren’t going to be offering what I’d liked, I told them I was going to go look elsewhere, and ultimately that was that.
“Quins came calling and I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity that I’m going to get there, but ultimately I want to finish on a high with this club.
“It’d be a pretty fairytale ending to my 10 years lifting a trophy, and so once the dust had settled from all the contract stuff, and I knew exactly what I was doing, that’s just been a massive driving motivator for me.”
Furbank, who has won 14 England caps, has been at the heart of a developing dynasty at Saints.
Driven by a core of young, homegrown talent, Northampton are preparing for a third major final in three seasons and are looking to take back the Prem title they won in 2024.
For Furbank, who joined the academy in 2015 and made his full debut two years later, his time at the Gardens has been memorable.
“It’s a special group,” he stated.
“A lot of us will call each other best mates, and we spend probably too much time together, to be honest, off the pitch, but I think that is what’s so special about this group.
“We do spend a ridiculous amount of time together, and so when it comes on to the pitch, it does feel natural.
“There’s something about playing with a group of mates that makes you want to go that little bit further and run that little bit more and hit that little bit harder.
“I’ve loved my time here genuinely from minute one to my last game on Saturday.
“It’s been a pleasure coming to work, it never feels like work, because you come into a place where you are basically just hanging out with your mates, having a laugh, and doing something that you love for a living.
“So, yes, it’s been a pretty cool 10 years.”
Northampton Saints v Exeter Chiefs
Prem Rugby final, Twickenham
Saturday, 20 June 15:00 BST
Listen to radio commentary on BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Northampton and BBC Radio Devon – and follow live text on BBC Sport website and app
Talks over a new contract broke down earlier this season, with Saints unable to offer Furbank a multi-year deal on account of his age and injury profile.
However, Furbank has since come through a tough injury run to reach peak form at the back-end of this campaign, and was at his sublime best in the play-off against Leicester, scoring two tries in the 45-31 win.
“Sport is a pretty ruthless industry, ultimately, and if a team wants you, they want you, and if they don’t, or they’re not sure, then you’ve kind of got to accept that,” he explained.
“The more you dwell on it it’s going to cause issues, and I never wanted to finish my time here feeling like I fell out with the club, because it’s been a place I have called home for over 10 years.”
In the aftermath of last Friday’s thrilling play-off win over Leicester, Saints boss Phil Dowson spoke about his side playing without fear in front of 82,000 supporters in Twickenham.
“We’re looking to just go out and be in a mindset of attacking the game,” Furbank agreed.
“That what we’re looking to build throughout this week. Ultimately you chase the performance and often the outcome follows – that is definitely what we are going to be going after.”
There will be live text commentary of the Prem final between Northampton Saints and Exeter Chiefs on the BBC Sport website on Saturday, 20 June as well as radio coverage from BBC Radio Northampton starting at 10:00 BST on BBC Sounds.
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