Pressure no problem as Hutchinson seeks to conjure up more magic for Saints

The Saints and Scotland centre prides himself on his laid-back approach to life and that certainly shows in his attacking approach when he crosses the white line at Franklin’s Gardens.

Hutchinson boasts some of the most dazzling skills in the Saints squad, continually finding keys to unlock opposition defences.

It has made him one of the hottest properties in the Gallagher Premiership, but he won’t be going anywhere fast as he recently penned a contract extension at Saints.

It came as part of a raft of 19 renewals as the black, green and gold made sure their most talented men remained part of Chris Boyd’s building project in Northampton.

For Hutchinson, the decision was a ‘no-brainer’ as he has been given the game time he needed to flourish since Boyd’s arrival.

He won a string of player of the month awards, was named Saints’ breakthrough player of the year for 2018/19 and got the Scotland call-ups he craved.

He just missed out on the World Cup squad but did get back in the picture for the Six Nations.

So is Hutchinson feeling any extra pressure now everyone expects him to deliver stardust on a regular basis?

“I try not to think about it like that - I just literally turn up and do my own thing,” said the 24-year-old.

“If you put too much pressure on yourself that’s when you get hard done by.

“I’m quite a relaxed person - a lot of people will tell you that at the club - I’m happy just to turn up with my boots without a warm-up and just play.

“For me, it’s about just doing my own thing, being in a good mindspace and just being relaxed because if you can be relaxed in this environment it’s a lot better.”

Hutchinson’s pressure-free approach brings dividends in attack as he showcases skills others would only dream of trying to deliver.

And he added: “I just want the ball in my hands and to put people through holes and stuff like that. It’s my bread and butter.

“I like to see myself as a distributor. We’ve got fly-halves like Dan (Biggar) and Jimmy (Grayson) but for me to be another option is good for the team.”

But Hutchinson knows rugby is not all about what you can do in attack.

“There’s always things to work on, but defensively I needed to bring my levels up,” he said.

“I needed to even up the scales a bit and for me it’s about bringing that up to my attacking stuff.

“I needed to be more consistent in the tackle and more aggressive and I’ve worked really closely with (Saints defence coach) Ian Vass and also the coaches up at Scotland.

“I feel it’s been really good for me, I feel I’m progressing and hopefully I’ve evened up my game a bit more.”

With Covid-19 putting a halt to rugby in March, Hutchinson has had time to hone his skills.

And when asked about how he handled the time away from Saints, Hutchinson said: “It had its pros and cons.

“Every rugby player loves a bit of time off but we weren’t playing as well as we wanted and the break could either have been a good thing or a bad thing.

“We need to really excel now, we’re all raring to go to carry on our fight for the title.”

Securing the title this season would be a sensational next step on Hutchinson’s rapid journey to the top since he finally got his big break.

Back in January 2019, Hutchinson was still searching for his place in the first-team squad.

He hadn’t managed to make a real name for himself but after starring in a Challenge Cup clash with Timisoara Saracens his career started to gather real speed.

He backed it up with a big performance against Leicester, and was soon named Premiership player of the month for February.

The superb showings and accolades continued and having been uncertain about his future, Hutchinson’s star has risen so much that he was a man in demand.

But Saints held on to him, agreeing a new contract in March last year, and they have refused to let him go ever since.

He penned another extension at the end of June and will continue to be a key cog in the Saints wheel for years to come.

“We’re trying to build a squad and to get 19 people re-signing, it means we haven’t got that on our minds and we don’t have to worry about that,” Hutchinson said.

“We don’t have to think about contracts, we can really build and it takes a lot of weight off our shoulders.

“Contracts are a big thing and they come around about every year or two years so we know we’ve got a big core of our squad staying and it will be really good for us.

“We can get that chemistry right because there are a lot of us young boys playing well together so hopefully we can still be here after the long-term deals.”

But was there ever a time when Hutchinson thought he wouldn’t be at Saints?

“In this environment, you’ve always got to keep your options open,” said Hutchinson, who has notched 86 points in 57 appearances for Saints.

“I’ve always been here so when I got the opportunity to stay, it was a no-brainer.

“I’m close to home as well and I can continue the journey.

“But as a sportsman you should never be narrow-minded and think there’s only one club because it’s about someone’s opinion and if someone doesn’t think you belong in their squad you’ve got to be prepared to look elsewhere.”

Saints will have to play midweek games to complete their league season, starting with a home match against Bath next Wednesday.

But Hutchinson isn’t fazed by that prospect as he feels he and his team-mates have used their time away from the Gardens well.

He said: “At Northampton we’re quite fortunate that we’ve got quite a healthy, big squad and that will help us with the quick turnaround between games.

“The club gave us lots of gym equipment and myself and Moony (Alex Moon) live together so we were able to do all the sessions in my gym.

“Even in lockdown, we’ve still worked out all the time and the only thing we weren’t doing was the contact side of it.

“But the squad have kept really fit and worked really hard off the field and that’s really important.

“It’s been a crazy time and you couldn’t make it up.”

A crazy time in 2020, and a crazy time at Saints for Hutchinson.

His journey will continue in the coming weeks and if he can continue on his steep upward trajectory, who knows how far he can go.

“I was thinking about it during lockdown that it would have been not much more than a year ago when I really started playing some rugby and it was pretty hectic,” he said.

“I got a good half-season when I got back from my injury and got called up to train for the World Cup so that was a long period of rugby.

“I then came back and went straight into the season we’re in now so this has been quite a blessed break because I’d played quite a lot of rugby up until now.

“It all just went so quickly.

“I went from one extreme where my contract was up and I wasn’t really playing before Christmas, which is when everyone starts to find out about their future.

“I had barely played a game but then I got my opportunity and was eventually able to train with the Scotland squad and be recognised.

“I got to be in the Six Nations campaign and to play my first Six Nations game against Ireland was just amazing for me.

“It all suddenly came to a halt because of coronavirus and it’s been crazy really.”