Walker shrugs off 'weird Christmas' as he makes strong start to life at Saints

The hooker arrived from Ealing Trailfinders earlier this month and has since been settling in at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

He was handed the chance to make his first appearance in black, green and gold last Saturday – and he took it with both hands.

Walker was hugely impressive in the 61-0 win against Newcastle Falcons, showing solidity in the set piece and ability with ball in hand.

And the 26-year-old couldn’t have been happier with how his Saints debut went.

“It was amazing, the fans were amazing,” Walker said. “I heard them when we ran out, it was just like ‘wow, this is why I wanted to come back to professional rugby’. They helped us massively with the result in the end which is what we all wanted to see.

"It was a good first runout and with the score as it was, it was a great first game for me and especially for the boys.

"It's been a weird Christmas because over six weeks ago Saints got in touch with me asking me if I wanted to come here. I was like 'yes!'.

"I joined the week they went to South Africa but I stayed here with a group of the other lads so I got to know them and then I was chucked into the deep end.

"The lads have been really accommodating and they've helped me out loads.

"You've got all the lineouts, all the plays but Tram (James Craig) has been helpful, Colesy (Alex Coles) has been really useful for me.

"My family have all helped me to adjust massively as well.”

Walker is not new to life in the Premiership as he made 72 appearances for Gloucester over an eight-year period before being released at the end of the 2023/24 season.

He got back on track with Ealing and was very grateful for the help they gave him in returning to England’s top tier.

"They were very good,” Walker said.

"They obviously wanted to know when I had to come here and they wished me all the best of luck stepping back up to the Prem.

"Obviously they've gone on to do very well and I know they beat Coventry to go top of the league.

"They were very helpful in my return to Prem rugby.”

Walker always harboured aspirations to return to the Premiership at some point.

And he said: “Most players in the Champ will be looking at themselves and thinking 'Prem's the aim'.

"With what they're looking at to bring promotion back, it gives those people a lot of incentive to come back up to Prem rugby.

"It was always the aim for me and I thank Ealing for everything they did for me.”

Walker showed last weekend that the gap between the Premiership and the Championship isn’t too daunting for players.

And he said: “You've just got to look at some of the scores that Champ clubs have put against Prem teams in the Prem Rugby Cup this year.

"Ealing beat a couple of Prem teams, same with some others and it's good to have two competitive leagues.

"It's good for English rugby and good for the younger lads who won't get exposure to Prem rugby straight away, it's massive.”

Now the focus for Walker and Saints is a home game against table-topping Bath on Sunday afternoon.

"It's massive,” Walker said.

"Obviously they're top of the table and for us it's about reflecting on the weekend and looking forward to Bath.”