Northampton Saints have signed Italian international tight-head prop Ion Neculai from Zebre Parma, the Premiership champions announced on Monday. The 25-year-old joins the Franklin's Gardens club after five seasons with the Italian side, for whom he made 51 appearances.
Neculai becomes the second former Zebre player to make the move to Northampton this summer, following Malik Faissal through the door, while Danilo Fischetti completed the same switch in 2025. The Saints' Italian contingent continues to grow as the club prepares to defend their Gallagher Premiership title in the 2026-27 campaign.
The prop has won four senior Italy caps, his most recent coming last month in Perth, when he came off the bench during the Azzurri's 57-10 Nations Championship defeat against Australia. He has now linked up with his new team-mates in pre-season, having reported for training last week.
"The quality of the coaching, the facilities and the players around me were all major factors in my decision," Neculai said. "I believe this is the right place for me to continue developing my game and challenge myself at the highest level."
Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson described Neculai as a "very physical prop who enjoys the tough side of the game", backing the 25-year-old to make an impact in the English top flight.
Neculai's arrival gives Northampton extra depth at tight-head, where he will compete for game time as the champions look to build on their title-winning campaign. Having spent the past five seasons in Parma's United Rugby Championship set-up, the Italian international now faces the challenge of Premiership rugby week in, week out, with Saints' coaching staff confident his scrummaging and carrying ability will translate to the demands of the English league.
Sources
