Gallagher Premiership: 'Hurt' Northampton Saints wanted to 'do a job' on Leicester Tigers, says Alex Mitchell

ByOli Gent

Updated 20/04/2024 at 23:23 GMT+1

Northampton Saints scrum-half Alex Mitchell has said that his side were "hurt" by previous defeats to local rivals Leicester Tigers, and used those as fuel to exact their revenge and "do a job" on their opponents, likely dashing the visitors' lingering hopes of a Gallagher Premiership play-off charge. Phil Dowson's Saints, however, sit top of the table, five points clear of second-placed Bath.

Alex Mitchell has said that Northampton Saints were “hurt” from their previous defeats to Leicester Tigers after their in the Gallagher Premiership.

Mitchell, the England scrum-half, put in a player of the match performance as Phil Dowson’s side consolidated their position at the top of the table, five points clear of Bath in second.

The win for Saints effectively ended any lingering hopes that their visitors had of sneaking into the Premiership’s end of season play-offs, but the home side had to do it the hard way as they went in at the break trailing thanks largely to Julian Montoya’s try, but a flurry from Northampton after the resumption gave them a crushing victory over their local rivals.

Premiership

Highlights: Exeter keep slender play-off hopes alive with win over Gloucester

00:03:09

|

28/04/2024 at 19:53

Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Mitchell said that previous defeats to the Tigers had wounded the table-toppers, who used them as fuel to exact their revenge.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence within the squad; we’ve got a lot of depth,” Mitchell said.

“The boys [who] stepped in today did really well. The squad effort, the coaches, the rotation has been fantastic. Within the squad, we’re in a really good place.

• England 'take handbrake off' to thrash Ireland as Grand Slam looms, Scotland beat Italy

“We’re first, everyone’s chasing us. We knew we had to do a job on Leicester. We lost at their place and they beat us last time out here. We were hurt from that last year, and we wanted to do a job and we did today.

“We need to stick to our basics and game plan. We know it’s working, and [we can now] push for the play-offs.”

With three gameweeks to go of the regular Premiership season, the play-off race will go down to the wire, with Saracens and Harlequins currently completing the top four.

‘May prove the killer punch’ – Smith scores ‘significant’ try for Saints

Quins have a game in hand over the sides above them, although so do fifth-placed Bristol, who trail the London outfit by two points.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

Premiership

'I'd take me out of the picture' - Mercer picks his England back row

00:01:05

|

28/04/2024 at 19:52

Premiership

'It's almost like a game of chess' - Mercer reveals how he beats his opponents

00:01:50

|

28/04/2024 at 19:51

Premiership

Feyi-Waboso has 'natural ingredients' to become 'world-class winger' - Healey

28/04/2024 at 19:00