Saints are confident they’ll stop the slide

By JON NEWCOMBE

PREVIEW…

Northampton Saints v Exeter Chiefs

Today. Kick-off 3pm, Franklin's Gardens

ALEX Mitchell insists Northampton can take their frustration out on Exeter after back-to-back defeats to Leicester and Sale have seen Saints slip down the table.

Another defeat at home to the Chiefs today would surely put an end to their play-off hopes. Saints go into the game four places and four points behind the Chiefs in the table.

“All the games are massive. I think we were fifth and now we've dropped to ninth after just two weekends,” said the England international who'll face competition from new signing Callum Braley for the No.9 jersey next season.

“We know it is so tight and literally every result does matter. At the end of the season it might come down to one bonus point.

“These next two weeks are massive for us. Exeter and Gloucester are two winnable games and two that we can easily get ten points out of. If we really want to get into the top four we need to get results from them.”

Mitchell has scored in the last three matches, most recently in the 21-20 defeat to Sale in which Saints were superior to their opponents in every respect other than the scoreboard.

A dozen visits should have seen them put the Sharks away but a lack of composure and countless handling errors counted against them.

Mitchell is one player, however, who does know how to score having crossed the line in the last three matches. He has seven league tries in total this season and is only two behind teammate Courtnall Skosan and Saracens' Max Malins at the top of the try-scoring charts.

Mitchell was a tryscorer when Saints beat Exeter 26-24 in Round 2, the latest in a series of close matches between the teams. Only an accumulative nine points have separated them in the last four matches with the away side winning on each occasion.

Saints fronted up physically against Sale and Mitchell says they will need to do so again if they are to pick up their first home win over the Chiefs since Christmas 2018.

“It'll be similar to the last two weeks against Leicester and Sale, we'll need to front up in the setpiece and we'll still need to play our game by moving the ball and playing with tempo,” he said.

“We know we can hurt this team, the last couple of times we have managed to do a job on them. It is a good team for us and it's a good time to bounce back so hopefully we'll put another performance in.”

This time Mitchell hopes the advantage will be with the home side.

“A packed out Franklin's Gardens, I don't think there is better place to play. If it is rocking here on Sunday, it makes our job a lot easier.”

George Furbank switches from fly-half to full-back with James Grayson starting in the 10 shirt. Mike Haywood, Alex Coles and Api Ratuniyarawa come into the pack.

Eye for the line: Alex Mitchell has scored seven tries for Saints this season

PICTURES: Getty Images