Gallagher Premiership: Northampton Saints sign Australian flanker Josh Kemeny from Melbourne Rebels

Northampton Saints have signed Australian flanker Josh Kemeny from the Melbourne Rebels.

Kemeny has made 27 Super Rugby appearances since making his debut against the ACT Brumbies in 2020.

The 25-year-old earned his first international cap for Australia in July 2023 and played in the Wallabies' win over Portugal at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

"The success that Northampton Saints have had in developing their players was definitely what made this move to England so appealing for me at this stage of my career,” he said in an official club statement.

"Also, the club is really trending in the right direction, putting in some fantastic performances in the Premiership and in Europe. Ultimately I want to be part of a team which is successful, and play my part in helping that success, and I believe Northampton is the place to do it.

“The conversations I have had with Saints’ coaches and people associated with the club have been incredibly positive and really shown that it is a top-class operation – when you hear such good things about the town, the supporters, the group of players and so on, it really paints a great picture of Northampton.

“The quality and different styles of rugby in the Premiership and in Europe, and the pressure for performance that is put on you in those different competitions, is something that I really wanted to challenge myself in and I’m excited to experience that next season.”

Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson said: “From watching Josh play, the thing that impressed us the most was his athleticism. He’s powerful, big and fast, he’s a solid lineout option, and crucially we can see a huge potential for growth in his game.

“Those are all traits that are obviously very helpful in rugby, but he’s also got the desire to get stuck in – his work rate is clear to see.

“Then, when we began our conversations with him, his ambition clearly stood out as well. He has a huge desire to get better as a player, which is what we always look for here at Saints, and he was passionate about the idea of challenging himself over here in the Premiership, in what can be a pretty brutal league.

“When you’re recruiting, the ideal recipe is someone who is physical and can play the game, but also someone who wants to push themselves, try new things, and get better. We believe we have found all of that in Josh, so we’re really excited to see what he can do in a Saints shirt next season.”

The Saints next take on the DHL Stormers and Sale Sharks in exhibition matches on March 9 and March 15th respectively before playing Bristol Bears in the Gallagher Premiership on March 22.

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