Editing Northamptonshire (section)

===Rugby union===
[[Rugby Union]] is the most popular spectator sport in Northamptonshire,<ref>"Results". The Rugby Paper. No. 820. 2 June 2024. p. 28.</ref> and it remains a major amateur sport with over 20 local clubs competing in the [[East Midlands Rugby Football Union|East Midlands RFU league system]]. 
====Northampton Saints====
[[File:2023-24 English Premiership Northampton Saints vs Bristol Bears 20231021 150303.jpg|thumb|A view towards the Carlsberg and Cinch stands in [[Franklin's Gardens]], home of the Saints.]]
The county's most popular sports team by attendance, [[Northampton Saints]], compete in the [[Gallagher Premiership]] and [[European Rugby Champions Cup]], and are based at the 15,249 capacity <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/saints-nation/club-history/a-new-dawn/ |title=A New Dawn |website=Northamptonsaints.co.uk |access-date=5 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018042910/https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/saints-nation/club-history/a-new-dawn/ |archive-date=18 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Franklin's Gardens]]. 

During the 2023/24 Season, Northampton Saints finished the [[Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] season top of the table, securing them a Home Semi-Final against the reigning Gallagher Premiership Champions [[Saracens Rugby|Saracens]], with Saints winning and becoming Finalists for the first time since winning the league in 2014. Saints played [[Bath Rugby]] at [[Twickenham Stadium]] in the Final on 8 June 2024. Northampton Saints won the Match beating Bath Rugby 25–21 and becoming the Gallagher Premiership Champions for the second time. Over 35,000 fans of the 82,000 capacity crowd traveled from Northamptonshire to watch the final in London.

To date, Saints have won seven major titles. They were European Champions in [[2000 Heineken Cup Final|2000]], and English Champions in [[2013–14 Premiership Rugby#Final|2014]] and [[2023–24 Premiership Rugby|2024]]. They have also won the secondary [[European Rugby Challenge Cup]] twice, in [[2008–09 European Challenge Cup|2009]] and [[2013–14 European Challenge Cup|2014]], the [[Anglo-Welsh Cup]] in [[2009–10 LV Cup|2010]], and the inaugural [[Premiership Rugby Cup]] in [[2018–19 Premiership Rugby Cup|2019]]. 

Finally, the Saints have won the [[RFU Championship|Second Division]] title three times; in [[1989–90 Courage League National Division Two|1990]], [[1995–96 Courage League National Division Two|1996]] and [[2007–08 National Division One|2008]].

Their biggest rivals are [[Leicester Tigers]]. The [[East Midlands Derby (Rugby Union)|East Midlands Derby]] is one of the fiercest rivalries in English rugby union.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/10834224/Northampton-Saints-v-Leicester-Tigers-Premiership-semi-final-Gloves-off-for-rugbys-biggest-grudge-match.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/10834224/Northampton-Saints-v-Leicester-Tigers-Premiership-semi-final-Gloves-off-for-rugbys-biggest-grudge-match.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers, Premiership semi-final: Gloves off for rugby's biggest grudge match|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=15 May 2014|access-date=5 January 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/12-biggest-rugby-rivalries-planet-11024928|title=The 12 biggest rugby rivalries on the planet|website=Wales Online|date=11 March 2016|access-date=5 January 2017}}</ref>