A paragon without regret champions northbound cutters (9)

I believe the answer is:

secateurs

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'cutters' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are plural nouns.
Maybe you can see an association between them that I can't see?

I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.

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(Other definitions for secateurs that I've seen before include "Gardener's tool" , "Small pruning shears" , "Clippers used for pruning plants" , "They make cuts" , "Pruning tool" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.

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