Jordan Els earns Northampton Saints contract until end of season
Jordan Els has been rewarded with a contract at Northampton Saints until the end of the season, having impressed on trial, according to BBC Sport. The 29-year-old South African joined the Franklin's Gardens club in the summer on a short-term deal, after leaving Harlequins.
Els is a loose-head prop. Props are the big forwards in the front row of the scrum, the set piece where eight players from each side bind together and push against each other. The loose-head sits on one side of that front row, and the job rewards strength, technique and stamina rather than headline moments.
He brings experience. Els played 58 matches across seven seasons for Harlequins, the club he left this year.
His recent games have come in two roles. He came off the bench in Northampton's 28-12 Champions Cup win over Cardiff. A substitute starts on the sideline and comes on during the match, often to add fresh legs when the pace drops. He then started the 29-14 defeat to Harlequins in the Prem Rugby Cup, a match against his former club.
Northampton's squad list for 2026/27, published in August, named seven props: Noah Buxton, Trevor Davison, Jordan Els, Danilo Fischetti, Luke Green, Emmanuel Iyogun and Cleopas Kundiona. Props are needed in depth, because the front row takes a heavy toll over a long season, and injuries or rotation can bring several into action in a single campaign.
Phil Dowson is the club's director of rugby, the senior figure responsible for the playing side of the club. The new deal keeps Els in the squad for the rest of the season, and the next stage of the campaign will show how much he plays.
