Dingwall wants Twickenham success to be just the start for Saints

Back then, he would have been dreaming of watching them, and helping them to, lift more major pieces of silverware in the years that followed.

But it never materialised for the black, green and gold as they endured a barren 10-year spell during which the only trophy they collected was a Premiership Rugby Cup.

Now though, the silverware-free streak is over as Dingwall and Co delivered the Gallagher Premiership trophy to Northampton last Saturday.

And the influential centre is hoping that success can be just the start for this talented Saints team.

"Boydy (former Saints boss Chris Boyd) spoke to me on Saturday and said 'the boys have turned to men'," Dingwall said.

"The younger group have all come through and we've been fortunate to have a couple of stayers, thinking about Sue (Alex Waller) and Courtney (Lawes) and what they've given to this club. They've really given us that added experience.

"Hopefully this is just the start of a really successful era for us."

Dingwall will be one of the players expected to lead the team next season with the likes of Waller, Lawes and Lewis Ludlam departing this summer.

But for now, it's all about reflecting on a job well done for the black, green and gold.

"It hasn't quite sunk in for me because 10 years ago I was a fan at the game watching Alex Waller score that try and now 10 years on I'm up on the stage celebrating with the trophy,” Dingwall said at Sunday's title-winning parade.

"It's been a bit of a whirlwind.

"It's really cool and I saw my family after the game so it was nice to see how much it means to them as well.

"In a few days, it will really sink in.”

Dingwall is now with England as they are facing Japan and New Zealand in a Summer Series in the coming weeks.

He was able to depart after celebrating with thousands of Saints supporters at the champions bus tour of Northampton on Sunday.

And he said: “It's pretty cool!

"We were chatting before setting off and we weren't really sure how many people would turn up so seeing the amount of people who came down just shows what this club means to the town and how connected the fans are to the group and how much they have supported us all year.

"Even when we got back from the game, there were loads of people waiting for us at the ground to celebrate with us.

"It's really cool that we're a club that have got that strong supporter base and we're able to share these moments with them as well.”

Dingwall feels everyone at Saints deserves this special achievement.

He added: “It's what the club deserves because of how they dealt with Covid, the financial side of the game - we're one of the clubs that manage ourselves and invest heavily into the Academy - and the club is full of good people within the squad but also around the club.

"You see from fans to commercial staff, to backroom staff, to physios, to the players - it's full of really good people and they're all connected and wanting to achieve a similar thing.”