Dingwall wants Saints to hit the ground running

But Saints are actually currently on a three-game losing streak at Franklin’s Gardens and they have yet to win a home league game in 2020.

Okay, so bigger things, like a global pandemic, have arrived to overshadow that record.

But it is certainly one they will be desperate to put right when rugby finally returns to Northampton this weekend.

There won’t be any fans there to see them do it, but Saints would dearly love to get off to a flying (re)start on home soil this weekend.

And they will know that if they can, they have every chance to cement their position in the Gallagher Premiership top four in the weeks that follow.

Though you can never take anything for granted in the cut and thrust of England’s top tier, Saints’ fixtures before August is out are as kind as you are going to get.

Home games against Wasps and Bath come between two trips to the Twickenham Stoop, where Chris Boyd’s side will battle first with London Irish and then Harlequins.

Saints ended the period before the pandemic on a high as they gritted their teeth to grab a 16-10 win against Worcester Warriors at Sixways.

And they will now be so eager to pick up where they left off, starting with putting those home demons to bed against Wasps this weekend.

“We had a very good start to the season but then had a bit of a dip and had a few results where we were frustrated we didn’t come out on the right side,” said centre Fraser Dingwall.

“Games like London Irish and Bristol at home were games where we should have won and we very much had them in our hands.

“We’re frustrated we’re not even higher up the table, but to still be up there and be fighting for the top four and maybe top two and spot that we want, we’ve got a good headstart.

“We’ve just got to hit the ground running - and hopefully we can do that.”

Saints currently sit fourth in the standings, 10 points behind table-topping Exeter Chiefs and two points ahead of fifth-placed Wasps.

It means they are in a position where their season really can go either way during the final nine games of the regular season.

But with a largely fully fit squad to choose from, aside from the likes of Alex Waller (Achilles) and Tom Wood (pulmonary embolism), they should be ready to mount a challenge.

And the experience their young players have gathered, especially those who were in England’s Six Nations squad earlier this year, should stand them in good stead.

“I had a great experience with the whole Six Nations campaign and being in camp,” said Dingwall, who, along with George Furbank and Alex Moon, was one of the uncapped Saints players called up by England back in January.

“I definitely learned a lot from that process and I was very happy with how things were progressing.

“I’m just really keen to get back in now and get playing some rugby.

“There’s been a lot of time to think about rugby but not a lot to play and put stuff into practice.

“To have the opportunity to train and start to try to pick up on stuff you learned - that’s the most exciting thing.”

Dingwall has experienced plenty of international camps with England Under-20s, who he has captained in the past.

But he says being with England’s senior squad had a completely different feel to it.

“It definitely is different,” said the extremely talented 21-year-old.

“The thing that was highlighted to me the most was just the work that goes in during a Test week, in terms of the intensity of the training and the detail around that.

“You see how boys work during the week before they go out and play on a Saturday.

“It’s the stuff people don’t see. It isn’t a light training week so you’re fresh - the training is tough and boys work very hard.

“You get a lot of rest during a day but when you’re on, you’re very much switched on and working really hard.”

While Dingwall faced some stern competition for a place at England level, it’s no different at Saints.

The likes of Piers Francis, Rory Hutchinson and Matt Proctor will all be vying for places over the coming weeks.

And Dingwall said: “We’ve got several good centres and the best thing about it is that each one of us brings something slightly different.

“It’s very good for training because it’s competitive and also there are lots of people you can learn from.

“With each one of us being different, we’re definitely driving each other on and hopefully we can make our midfield unit a very strong area.”

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