Fotuali’i not feeling the pressure as he is handed rare Saints start

Kahn Fotuali’i says he is not feeling any extra pressure despite a slow start to his Saints career.
AIMING TO IMPRESS - Kahn Fotuali'i starts for Saints against Saracens (Picture: Linda Dawson)AIMING TO IMPRESS - Kahn Fotuali'i starts for Saints against Saracens (Picture: Linda Dawson)
AIMING TO IMPRESS - Kahn Fotuali'i starts for Saints against Saracens (Picture: Linda Dawson)

The Samoan scrum-half has only started two of Saints’ first seven games, with Lee Dickson stealing the No.9 shirt and the spotlight.

Fotuali’i arrived from Ospreys during the summer to a fanfare of excitement after some stellar showings for the Welsh side.

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He scored a try for the Barbarians against the Lions to whet the appetite of the Saints faithful, but recently admitted he has yet to show his best form for his new club.

Despte that, Fotuali’i, who starts at nine against Saracens on Saturday, is remaining unflustered and focusing on what he needs to do to hit his straps.

“I don’t take too much notice of it all (the hype),” said the 31-year-old.

“There’s no added pressure, I can only do what I can do and play as well as the team’s playing.

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“Hopefully I’ll do well personally and the team will function as well.

“Maybe it’s just a little bit of understanding of how the Saints play and getting the combinations right with the forwards and myself.

“It’s about me stepping out of my comfort zone, but other than that my time here has been great.”

Fotuali’i is well aware of the need for he and his team-mates to perform at their best this weekend, as table-topping Saracens come calling in a crunch Aviva Premiership clash.

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And he believes Saints, with much of their backline untouched by international call-ups, are more than capable of toppling the side directly above them in the table.

“We’ve got some great talent there,” said Fotuali’i. “We’ve got Luther Burrell and George Pisi in midfield who are talented players.

“Luth is a big boy, George is quick on his feet, great skills and his brother on the wing, as well as Jamie Elliott.

“They are great players and there’s a great skill set there.

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“We just need to get them into the game a little bit more and hopefully the forwards get them some good ball.”

And Fotuali’i is hoping home advantage can carry his side over the line on Saturday.

He added: “I’m excited. It’s a tough challenge. Saracens are the top team in the Premiership and you look forward to these sort of games. We need to perform.

“It’s important to win this weekend. We want to win every game and being at home helps as well because the fans have been pretty awesome.

“I’ve come from a team where the stadiums weren’t so full and here where the stadiums are full every week is a big uplift. Hopefully we’ll get a win.”