No napping on this occasion for Saints
Ben Foden has vowed Northampton Saints won't be caught napping again when they meet Saracens in the play-off semi-finals.
The England fulback is hoping the semi-final will be at Franklin's Gardens and knows Saints have to win at London Irish in the final game of the regular season this weekend to secure a home tie.
But even if the game is at Vicarage Road, Foden is confident Saints won't get caught napping for a second time after Saracens' one-point win at the Gardens last time out.
That meant Saracens became the only side to do the league double over Saints, ending 'Fortress Franklin's' 22-game and 14-month unbeaten record.
Foden believes Saints will have learned from the mistakes that saw Sarries outscore them three tries to two.
"They caught us napping a few times," said Foden.
"They found a few mis-matches where forwards found themselves out wide and had got a one-on-one with a centre.
"We will learn from that and hopefully next time we see them we will have put a defence together and we will be ready for that.
"They played a new style of rugby, they didn't kick much ball to us to run back, they played a nice wide game that caused us problems.
"Hopefully we will learn from it for the re-match in a few weeks time.
"Teams always look at Northampton, look at the back three, see it as a threat and they neutralised that by not kicking any ball.
"To be fair to them they are playing a nice style of rugby at the moment, they have flipped it over.
"They used to be a team that kicked and chased everything, now they are a team that is running from their own half."
Foden will be desperate to get Saints back to winning ways at London Irish and maintain his status as England's number one fullback when he comes up against his closest rival Delon Armitage.
But the 24-year-old is concentrating solely on getting the club to its first Guinness Premiership Grand Final at Twickenham.
"We will be involved in another game with Saracens at our place or theirs and we will be concentrating on that game when it comes around," said Foden.
"There is a good, healthy rivalry between the two clubs.
"Both are progressive clubs that have risen up the league and are now top-four sides.
"We have played four times this season with two wins each and there will be a fifth game now as well.
"It would have been nice to have rounded off a perfect season at home,
but we slipped up right at the last.
"There is a big game this week and our focus will be on that."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Kettering
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 12 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North east
