Robson says Saints ‘significantly better than most other sides out there’

And he says Northampton are currently ‘significantly better’ than the majority of other sides.

Saints sit second in the league standings, three points adrift of table-toppers Saracens, having lost only once so far this season.

But there is a gap of 11 points to third-placed Bath, who Jim Mallinder’s men thrashed 43-25 at Franklin’s Gardens at the end of December.

And Robson said: “We’re significantly better than most of the other sides out there.

“There’s us and Saracens and then there’s a gap in the league. But there’s a gap in quality as well at the moment.

“It’s a matter of keeping it up.

“I just think we’re performing so well and there’s a different look about us.”

Robson predicted a successful season for Saints before it began, admitting the club had never been in a better position.

And he is confident his pre-season prophecies can come true in 2014, with Northampton well-placed in the Aviva Premiership and LV= Cup and still in the running in Heineken Cup Pool 1.

“I’ve never been as optimistic as I was at the start of the season,” said Robson.

“I put my neck out and said ‘this is our season’ and it was there to be chopped off. It hasn’t been yet.

“We’ve got to feel quite good at the moment, haven’t we?”

But Robson does recognise Saints have not won anything yet, and is keen to guard against complacency.

He said: “The worst thing we can do – and I don’t make the rugby decisions – is sit back and be satisfied with ourselves because we’re looking so good. We haven’t won anything yet.

“At the end of the season we may have won something, but not yet. We’re in second place, I fancy us a lot, but we’ve won nothing.

“And if we now don’t follow this through to the end of the season we will win nothing, so we mustn’t be complacent.

“Even when we’ve won whatever it is we win, we want to win it the following year. Just because you’ve won it this year, it doesn’t give you a head-start next year.

“The hardest thing sometimes is, once you’re at the top of your game, staying there because everyone is aiming for you.

“When Northampton Saints come to town, everyone is after our scalp now because we’re known as one of the form sides and everyone’s looking to beat us.”