Foden: Nervy finish will stand us in good stead

Jim Mallinder’s men were 31-10 up with 20 minutes to go at Franklin’s Gardens last weekend, but Bath came roaring back and almost salvaged a draw.

As it is though, Saints secured a 31-24 success and head to London Irish with three wins from four games in the Aviva Premiership this season.

But they know just how tough Saturday’s trip to the Madejski Stadium will be, with Irish in high spirits after earning a shock 22-19 win against Leicester at Welford Road last weekend.

“It’s normally quite a troublesome place for us to go,” said England full-back Foden. “We’ve slipped up there in the past so we know there’s a danger of that.

“But the last 15, 20 minutes against Bath was a good wake-up call for us and that will keep us on our toes.

“Hopefully we do the business this week but we know they’re going to be a tough side looking for points.”

Saints were routed 39-17 at Reading a couple of seasons ago, with that chastening afternoon still in the memories of many squad members.

And last weekend’s result at Tigers served as a timely reminder of what Irish can do, though Saints fans did greet their local rivals’ defeat with glee.

“We heard the cheer echo around the stadium,” said a smiling Foden.

“We know we’ve got to be on top of our game if we’re going to go there and get the result.

“They’ll be on a big high after beating Leicester so we’ll have to try to pick them apart this weekend.”