Ma’afu says Saints still have work to do to clinch home semi-final

Ma’afu and Co survived a second-half scare against London Irish on Sunday to claim a bonus-point 36-21 success that pushed them seven points clear of nearest rivals Bath and Leicester.

But with two league games to go there is still time for twists and turns, especially as Saints still have to go to Bath, on May 2.

And Ma’afu, who scored his first Northampton try in Sunday’s win, knows his men still have plenty of work to do to secure a home play-off semi-final.

“We’re in a good position now, but we can’t feel comfortable,” said the popular Australian prop.

“We’ve got some big games coming up and there’s no room for complacency. We’ve got to finish well.

“We lost concentration for a little bit on Sunday and against a better side it might not be good enough, but we can fix that.

“Winning again gives us a bit of confidence and it will be good for us ahead of the run in.”

Saints now take a break from league action as they look forward to an Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final game against Harlequins at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night.

And Ma’afu knows his side will face a tough test against a Quins team who are currently on a hot streak.

“They’re looking good,” he said. “They’ve been playing well the last few weeks.

“We enjoyed Sunday’s win but we’ve got our heads back on Friday night and the Quins.”