Confidence continues to build for Litchfield as he shows his worth at Saints

And such was the coaches' faith in the talented 22-year-old, he even took to the field in a slightly unfamiliar position on a couple of occasions.

Perhaps the stand-out game for the youngster in what turned out to be a Gallagher Premiership-winning campaign, came at Gloucester last December.

Stretched by injuries, Saints put bulldozing centre Litchfield on the wing.

And not only did he impress, he scored what proved to be a crucial second-half try in a vital league success.

Litchfield had earned the trust of the management team with a massive display at centre against Toulon on the previous weekend.

And it is clear just how much that eight days meant to him as he laid the foundations for a Saints career that continues to go from strength to strength.

"I had a good year last year, played a lot more than I thought I would," Litchfield said.

"It's just about making myself available to the coaches and giving them some selection headaches.

"We've got a really competitive group in the backs so we're always trying to make each other better, and that's helping me a lot.

"That Gloucester game last year, they put a lot of trust in me to play on the wing because it wasn't a position I'd played a lot of.

"It was definitely one of my favourite memories in a Saints shirt, scoring a try as well down that left side.

"I also really enjoyed Toulon at home - that was a great one. It was my first taste of a big European competition so I really enjoyed that one.

"We got a last-minute winner in that one and it was nice."

Litchfield is happy to play wherever needed for Saints, and he feels being able to shift to the wing if required can only be a good thing for him and the coaches.

"You get a lot of confidence from the coaches through being selected anyway, especially out of position, and that year in general gave me a lot of confidence to build on," he said.

"Hopefully I'll build on it more this year.

"I've only played a little bit on the wing. The lads will tell you I have no pace but maybe I've got a little bit.

"It's nice that I can show that I can play in different positions.

"Maybe I can be a bit of a Swiss army knife of positions and that's a good thing to offer the coaches for selection.

"When I was younger I started at fly-half and then moved into centre when I got a bit bigger.

"I didn't really play wing, I only really did that when I came into the England Under-20s setup and got put on the wing by Dicko (Alan Dickens) so that was my first time playing it. It's quite new still for me."

For now though, Litchfield is very much shining in his more familiar position of centre.

He excelled again last Friday, scoring in a 31-12 Premiership Rugby Cup win against Leicester Tigers at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.

And he has hailed the coaches and his team-mates for helping him to develop since emerging from the Saints Academy with a debut from the bench against Bath in June 2021.

"The coaching group is great for developing players and as a playing group as well, the likes of Dingers (Fraser Dingwall), Rory Hutchinson, Burger (Odendaal) - there's so many players in the backs that are so high level that it makes you better," Litchfield said.

"Everyone's trying to be a better rugby player every day and the environment helps that.

"I've been looking at trying to get on the ball more, getting some carries into the game and I'm working on my defence out wide - those are my big work-ons.

"Physicality is one of the things I try to implement in the game and I'm hoping people can see that's what I offer."

Litchfield learned plenty as a young player when on loan at Championship outfit Bedford Blues.

And he said: "I was born in Bedford, I've always been a Bedford fan and I went to loads of games when I was a kid so it was really nice Saints developed that link so I could go and play for the club I've supported since I was young.

"They've got a really nice group there, a great fan base and it was a great experience."

The strategic partnership between Saints and Bedford has been hugely beneficial for both clubs, and it continues to be.

And many players who have been plying their trade with the Blues are getting chances for Saints in this season's Premiership Rugby Cup campaign, which continues with a home game against Nottingham on Saturday evening (kick-off 5.15pm).

"There's a lot of new talent coming through and that's why this competition is so great," Litchfield said.

"You get to see players you wouldn't normally see at the weekend pulling on the Saints shirt and playing their heart out so it's a really good competition in that respect."