Mallinder wants ‘massive’ improvement from Saints

The director of rugby saw his side sqeeze past London Irish last Friday, earning a 15-9 win at Franklin’s Gardens.

That result, coupled with Bath’s defeat at Saracens on Sunday, means Saints head to the west country sitting five points clear at the Aviva Premiership summit.

But Mallinder insists his men must do better if they are to get a result against their nearest rivals at The Rec.

“We’ve got to improve a lot,” he said.

“It’s a top-of-the-table clash and we’ve got to improve massively, it’s as simple as that.

“We won’t panic. We need to have a look at Friday’s performance at get our basics right.

“A lot of it is being able to find space, being able to pass and catch under pressure. Those are basics.”