"Crunch time" for Northampton's top four aspirations as they prepare to welcome Bath
Sam Vesty (left) and Chris Boyd will be hoping to build on Saturday's win over London Irish
©Claire Jones / Red Hat Photo
The Gallagher Premiership is set for a busy few days and it has begun by taking steps into the unknown.
Midweek domestic rugby is certainly not the norm, but for fans up and down the country, the prospect of Tuesday and Wednesday evening games have already whetted the appetite as the top-flight season continues to click through the gears.
Following on from Sale's impressive display against Wasps and Exeter Chiefs' late win at second-placed Bristol Bears, the race for a top four berth has only intensified and the next instalment in the fight for a play-off spot will be penned at Franklin's Gardens this evening when Northampton Saints host an exciting Bath outfit.
Since the restart, Stuart Hooper's side have flown out of the blocks following eye-catching victories over London Irish and Leicester Tigers, respectively, whereas the same cannot be said for Chris Boyd's Saints.
After a disappointing return to action against Wasps - their fifth defeat in six games - the Midlands club were able to bounce back when they faced the aforementioned Irish at The Stoop last weekend. Following a turgid first-half, a brace of penalty tries sandwiched in between excellent efforts from Tom Collins and Ahsee Tuala saw Northampton secure a vital 27-3 win and now the Saints sit level on points with Bath ahead of tonight's showdown.
"We were definitely pleased with the end result," Tuala exclusively told TRU. "The first half was a bit slow. It took a bit of time to gel together and get a few phases in, but we managed to capitalise towards the end of the game so we were pleased.
"It puts us in a better position ahead of this week. Bath got their win at the weekend [a 38-16 victory at Welford Road] and they are sitting just above us and they are on equal points so it is going to be massive. It was a massive result for us and now all the focus is on Wednesday. It should be a cracker!
On his try, Tuala added: "I think that was a bit of a fluke to be honest! James [Grayson] just gave me the old 'eyes up' so I knew the ball was going to come wide so the rest was history!"
The winger's outrageous late score in the corner may well have been worth the wait for Boyd and his coaching staff, but maximum points looked to have evaded Northampton due to their inaccuracies in the Irish 22.
Both Tuala and attack coach Sam Vesty know the Saints need to be more clinical if they are to keep their hopes of successive Premiership semi-finals alive.
"I think we are trying to do the right things and I think the improvement comes from doing that more consistently and for long periods of time," added Vesty, who signed a contract extension at the club on Tuesday.
"First half of last weekend's game, we did lots of really good things. We were a real threat from an attacking point of view for two, three or four phases and then we coughed it up and we actually need to be taking that longer and more consistently and that is when you make teams pay."
Northampton have once again made wholesale changes for the visit of Bath, with Boyd opting to utilise his squad depth in order to navigate his side through a packed fixture schedule.
Nick Auterac is set for his full debut for the Saints and will join James Fish and tighthead Owen Franks in the front-row, with the Black, Green and Golds rotating their full starting XV from the team that lined up against London Irish.
"Hopefully it [squad rotation] will pay dividends in the short-term and I think it certainly will in the long-term as well," Vesty added.
"We have got a good squad and we have faith in all of our squad that they can go out there and perform. It is a good opportunity, the way we are doing it now, to learn a lot about the boys. This is something we talked about last year as well. If you give boys opportunities, they thrive. We will see over the next few weeks who comes to the fore because I am sure there will be some names that will surprise a few."
Following their successful visit to the Midlands on Saturday, Bath will be confident of coming away from the Gardens with the desired result when they take the journey up the M4.
Vesty is aware of the Blue, Black and White's threats, with the West Country side showing a clinical edge across the field over the course of their first two matches. If Northampton can nullify Bath's power up front and slow their ball down, the Saints could secure back-to-back wins and edge themselves into the top four places.
With a return to The Stoop - to face Harlequins - to come on Sunday, the significance of a positive result on Wednesday night could prove to be a pivotal moment in Northampton's campaign.
"The boys are real excited," said Tuala. "We are still alive so it does give us that opportunity to pick up some silverware, but we need to get these games sorted first to put us in a real good position which is the top four."
"It is really crunch time, isn't it?," added Vesty. "You can't slip up many times in this next block otherwise you are just going to be out of the running so it is really exciting for everyone, but it is pretty much crunch time.
"I think you have seen over the Premiership, it has been not as fluid as it perhaps will be, but I think in the next couple of games, teams should be hitting their straps and I think we will get a better gauge over the next three or four games of who is going to be in that top four.
"There are not any opportunities to drop points here and there. We haven't got the luxury of sitting on the top with a cushion so we have to go and put in performances. I am really looking forward to Wednesday night and I am looking forward to us performing well. If we can concentrate on ourselves and get our performance right, the result is more likely to go our way."
