Stephenson seeks to cement central role at Saints

The 20-year-old has been hugely impressive in recent matches against Exeter and Saracens, showing his grit and determination to succeed at Saints.

The Academy graduate has complemented Luther Burrell in the absence of the England man’s regular centre partner, George Pisi.

With Pisi on the comeback trail after a hamstring injury, Stephenson knows he faces a fight for his first-team spot, but it is one he is relishing.

“It’s nice to be playing some of the top teams in the league and be able to start against them, soaking up as much experience as possible,” said Stephenson.

“It’s great to be playing alongside someone like Luther Burrell and I know that when the internationals come back I’ve got to try to keep my shirt.”

Stephenson has now made eight appearances for the Saints first team, and the Saracens success made his most recent a memorable one.

He said: “It’s great for me to experience an away win at Saracens and be part of it. It’s great for me and for the team.

“The Exeter defeat was a setback and this gets us right back on track.

“We came out of the blocks really well. It was a huge goal for us to turn Saracens on their own turf and we’re really happy with the first half. The second half we just held them out.”