From fan to fulcrum - the family story of Dingwall's Prem title quest

A few weeks ago, Fraser Dingwall joined his brother Euan for a dinner to celebrate the latter's 30th birthday.

Beside the table were two photographs taken 10 years apart.

The first showed Northampton Saints winning the Prem title in 2014.

Fraser, then 15, and 18-year-old Euan were in the crowd at Twickenham, cheering as Alex Waller's extra-time try brought the club their first title.

The second was 10 years later - only this time, Fraser was on the pitch, lifting the trophy.

Now the 27-year-old centre has the chance to add a third photograph, as Saints aim for a second Prem title in three years.

"I always watched Saints - and I remember that day in 2014 really clearly," said Dingwall.

"I especially remember the final whistle and seeing the players going mental, watching the celebrations. I walked away as a fan with such a rush.

"It's been very surreal to go from watching the final to joining the club, building my way up and ultimately win the thing, it's a crazy full-circle moment."

Dingwall's love for the game started alongside his older brother at Cambridge RFC, watching their dad, Gordon, from the touchline or playing in junior matches on Sunday.

"We did a lot of sport when we were young," said Euan. "I loved Carlos Spencer, Fraser's favourite was Dan Carter.

"But Fraser stood out. He was strong for his age group. He played football for Cambridge United in their academy.

"But the transition for him was when he joined Bedford School. It was a big decision, and had a big impact and he became Head Boy.

"He's always been a leader in his teams, people looked up to him."

Fast forward to today and Dingwall is one of the leaders in a Northampton Saints team that have finished top of the Prem and reached a European Champions Cup final a year ago - and he has made his England debut too.

At the start of each week at Saints, the coaches and senior players like Dingwall push messages and motivations for the forthcoming game.

Friday night's semi-final against Leicester Tigers has certainly sharpened minds, especially after a thumping defeat last month at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

"We address the emotion at the start of the week," he said. "The messaging is very intentional and it starts earlier than people realise.

"The emotional cues are then picked up at the end of the week before the game.

"The leading style we have comes from our actions. The best leaders I have seen back it up by how they act."

Dingwall has been described as the "glue player", someone who does all the unseen work in both defence and attack, improving the players around him.

He laughs at the label, but likes it.

"It's a nice thing to be called and has good connotations," he smiles. "As long as I bring the best out of people, it can only be a good thing to me.

"I'd hope that players feel my presence. I am there giving information and there are lots of small decisions to be made. It can happen quite fast, can become chaotic and so you're always desperate to say level-headed.

"We still get a lot of things wrong but the more you practice the more you get right. Leadership is about self-awareness as well."

Dingwall has relished his time with England, winning 10 caps so far, experiencing the highs of beating New Zealand and scoring a try last autumn, to the lows of losing at home to Ireland in the Six Nations earlier this year and, with it, losing a starting jersey.

He hopes to regain his place during the new Nations Championship, starting away to world champions South Africa this summer.

"England has been a step up," he said.

"There have been times when I didn't actually think it would happen. I was in and around squads for a long time. It became quite testing at times.

"You have to take your opportunities so seriously each time. My learnings have been that time and space is even less. The margins are even smaller.

"But it's made me hungry for more. The whole occasion is so special, from the stadiums, the spectacle, to the attention it receives."

For now, however, Dingwall is preparing for a titanic tussle against old foes, a winner-takes-all clash with Tigers under the lights at Franklin's Gardens in front of a sell-out crowd.

Saints finished the regular season top of the Prem, 11 points ahead of fourth-placed Leicester, after winning 14 of their 18 games - but Dingwall knows the scoreboard resets to zero on Friday night.

His family will be in the crowd, as ever.

"Ever since we won the title two years ago, it's made me hungrier," he said.

"A lot goes into the season, it's not just the stand-alone games. To win a trophy takes so much from a group. I value that way, way more.

"There are a lot of emotive factors. The stakes are higher but the rugby doesn't change.

"Northampton against Leicester is one of the longest standing derbies in rugby.

"The history, two successful sides - you take that rivalry and put it into a play-off semi-final where only one team makes a final to win the Prem, it's high stakes, high emotions and set to be a cracker."