Northampton will arrive at Twickenham with last year’s Premiership final against Leicester, the final minutes of the first half especially, ingrained on their minds. The match turned when the captain of the Saints, Dylan Hartley, became a sinner and was sent off for an abusive and insulting comment aimed at the referee, Wayne Barnes.
The 14 men eventually buckled in the final quarter but, if they keep a full complement of players against Saracens – Hartley returns to the bench having been out of action for two months with a fractured shoulder – they are confident of winning the Premiership title for the first time because of the capacity they have developed for finishing matches strongly.
“We would like to put last year right,” says their England flanker Tom Wood, who will lead Northampton in Hartley’s absence from the starting lineup. “We must make sure we use the excitement of the occasion to our advantage and feed off it rather than let it get on top of us. The fact that many of the team were involved last year will help us and we have matured as a side.”
Northampton came from 17-6 behind to defeat Leicester in the Premiership semi-final and last Friday turned a 13-6 deficit into a comfortable victory over Bath to win the Amlin Challenge Cup final. When they last played Saracens six weeks ago, they were 28-10 down at Allianz Park before two tries in the final 10 minutes left the hosts hanging on.
“We back our fitness against anyone,” says Wood. “We have fallen behind in the first half of matches recently but we always start fast and that gives us an advantage at the end because our energy levels are so good and opponents are tired. Saracens are a pragmatic, disciplined side but I like to think our forwards are a match for anybody. If we get momentum, we have a very good chance.”
Northampton are chasing the double despite operating with a small squad. They have used only three flankers to start in the league and Europe all season, Wood, Calum Clark and Phil Dowson (Saracens have called on eight) and they have no specialist cover for the fly-half Stephen Myler, who has bloomed since the arrival of Alex King as attack coach last summer.
“Alex has freshened things up and brought new opinions,” says Myler. “I am delighted with the minutes I’ve played this season and the input I’ve had into the development of the team. There has been a shake-up from recent seasons and I have been a big part of that. My job is to control things and get the very best out of the side. Rugby at the top level is about discipline.”
Myler has seen off more individually talented but less consistent outside-halves in Shane Geraghty and Ryan Lamb since his move from rugby league and he believes his more reserved and calculated approach suits the Saints.
“I don’t have a flamboyant personality,” he says. “I try to do my best for the team. I do what the coaches expect of me and try to play to the game plan. We haven’t been particularly flamboyant as a team in recent seasons – we do the basic things well and put ourselves in the right positions.
“We don’t run everything from our own 22, which isn’t what the best teams do. I had the most assists in the league last season but that doesn’t really get mentioned and I would rather have that statistic than them saying I am flamboyant or a maverick.”
Myler will fly out on Monday to join the England squad in New Zealand, along with several team-mates and opponents in the final, including his opposite number, Owen Farrell. They will all miss the first Test but Myler has not got himself worked up over missing the opportunity to add to the cap he won in Argentina last summer.
“My focus is on Northampton and one of the biggest games of my career,” he says. “We have the opportunity to achieve a first for the club and while the tour is logistically unfortunate for a number of players, you have to be professional about it. If I do get the opportunity [to play] in New Zealand, I would relish it but Saturday comes first.”
Northampton have not lost since the 13 April defeat by Saracens, winning five matches and drawing one. They beat Sarries away in last year’s semi-final and put 41 points on them at Franklin’s Gardens in October.
“We know their quality but we have a good chance of winning,” says the Saints’ director of rugby, Jim Mallinder. “Beating Leicester was big for us and we are stronger than we have ever been.”
