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Updated 20/04/2024 at 22:23 GMT
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 of Northampton Saints runs with the ball during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers at the cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens on April 20, 2024 in Northampton, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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