Harlequins 30 Northampton Saints 17: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

But on Sunday afternoon, they suffered a hugely disappointing defeat at the same ground, putting their hopes of reaching the top four firmly in reverse.

It has been a sobering Project Restart for Saints, who simply haven't restarted at all.

Aside from the second 40 minutes at London Irish, they have failed to win a half.

Seven of the eight halves they have been played have either been drawn or, more often than not, won by the opposition.

Time and again, they find themselves frustrated, and not only with the opposition.

Individual errors have become commonplace and so have frailties in different departments of the game.

Against Bath, Saints struggled in the scrum and continued their attacking lineout woes.

Against Quins, they plugged those holes, competing well in those areas, but they were overcome when defending a lineout and, once again, at the breakdown.

Quins boss Paul Gustard explained after the game that he had 'picked two sevens' to target Saints over the ball.

And it worked, as it did for Wasps, who made a habit of stealing possession on the floor just as Saints started to get some forward momentum.

But it wasn't just the Quins forwards who had a better day than their Saints counterparts.

In the backs, while Quins were sharp, cutting Saints apart with slick moves on three occasions, the black, green and gold made errors they simply wouldn't expect to make.

James Grayson, who had otherwise produced some moments of brilliance, missed touch twice.

And Alex Mitchell, who looked so sharp when running with the ball, also struggled with his kicking accuracy.

Those players were the heroes at The Stoop last April, with Mitchell scoring and Grayson converting to win the match.

But this time, they were being criticised and what that shows is the ruthless nature of rugby.

It also serves as a reminder that these are still young players, gaining experience, and inconsistencies are to be expected.

It will take many more appearances before they become seasoned top level players and string top performances together week after week.

But tough days like this will only be beneficial for them in the future.

This is where Saints are now, having to soak up knowledge and learn from their myriad mistakes during 2020.

Many are doubting this team, fearing a struggle will be on the cards, not only for the rest of this season but for next.

But take a step back and think about it for a second.

Saints have split their squad in two since the resumption, blending youth with experience.

Many will say it hasn't worked, but if the players had performed to the levels they know they are capable of, things would be very different.

The talent is there, it just isn't coming to fruition right now.

And Saints should not alter this two-team approach over the next three games.

They should keep it, keep giving players the rest they need, keep giving experience to fringe players - some of their most impressive performers at Quins had that tag - and build up to that Champions Cup quarter-final at Exeter on September 20.

That way, with a full seven days of rest between their trip to Leicester Tigers and the game against the Chiefs, they can pick what they see as their strongest team.

With the fixtures they have remaining in the Premiership, the top four realistically looks too far away now.

Chris Boyd has said his side need to win all five of their remaining matches, but form and fixtures are not in their favour.

Exeter, Bristol, Leicester, Sale and Gloucester will all be formidable opponents.

And the Chiefs will also undoubtedly be in that Champions Cup clash.

But it is a one-off encounter at Sandy Park to get their teeth stuck into and, if nothing else, that fixture alone shows just how far this club has come.

When Chris Boyd arrived, direction was lacking and the team were looking forward to Challenge Cup matches against the likes of the Dragons and Timisoara Saracens.

Now they are back at Europe's top table, having beaten a formidable Lyon team twice along the way.

They didn't get there by being a bad team.

No, Project Restart hasn't suited them in the way it should.

It looked like it would be all sun and sizzling Saints tries.

But the weather and the performances haven't lived up to the hype.

However, look at the possession and territory Saints have enjoyed and they are not as bad as some may suggest.

They have had many problems since rugby returned - one being a total lack of composure, as shown by the fact they have chased games and failed to even take a losing bonus point from any of their three defeats.

They have been hit by sucker punch after sucker punch and when backed into their own 22, they have not had the defensive resolve needed at the top level.

But when they do put their strongest team out, with their ideal combinations across the pitch, they can compete in this league and in Europe.

It looks like there will be more tough weeks ahead before this season is over.

Things may well get worse before they get better.

But if they do, Saints must not lose hope.

They have been in tougher situations than this and come out the other side.

And whereas in the past you may not have been able to see the future of the squad, that should not be the case with this group of players.

How they rated...

GEORGE FURBANK

With Quins constantly peppering Saints, it was a difficult day for the full-back and he wasn't able to gather on a couple of occasions... 5

RYAN OLOWOFELA

Did get isolated once, allowing Quins to win a penalty, but the young wing was one of Saints' better performers and he grabbed his first try for the club... 6.5

MATT PROCTOR

The Kiwi centre helped to create a try for Rory Hutchinson and was one of the better Saints players on show... 6.5

RORY HUTCHINSON

Etched his name on the scoresheet during the first half and continued to try to weave his magic, without much reward... 6.5

TOM COLLINS

Had scored a superb try at The Stoop just eight days earlier, but it wasn't the wing's day and he couldn't quite gather Olowofela's pass with the line in sight... 5

JAMES GRAYSON

Mixed the sublime with the ridiculous on a strange afternoon as he missed touch twice, but brilliantly created a try for Olowofela and should have had a hand in another only for Collins to not gather at the last... 6

ALEX MITCHELL

Looked really sharp when running at Quins, finding gaps for Saints, but he had a tough day with his kicking from hand, costing his team territory at crucial times... 5

DANNY HOBBS-AWOYEMI

Not an easy day for the prop, whose eagerness saw him offside once or twice and who had the tough task of trying to stop Quins' speedy backs... 5

MIKE HAYWOOD

Kept the lineout secure and looked desperate to make something happen in attack as he carried hard... 6

EHREN PAINTER

Helped Saints to keep their scrum steady but Quins combatted his physicality well in open play, with one final big hit coming before he was withdrawn... 5

ALEX MOON

Produced a powerful performance at The Stoop against London Irish, but Quins dealt with his physicality well and put pressure on him... 5

NICK ISIEKWE

Another man who impressed in his previous game, but Quins stopped him having as much influence here... 5.5

JAMIE GIBSON

The flanker popped up on the wing as he likes to do and he did what he could to carry the fight but it wasn't his or his team's day... 5.5

LEWIS LUDLAM

Gave everything he could to try to get some momentum for his team, fighting so hard with ball in hand but it wasn't to be... 6

SHAUN ADENDORFF

Absolutely loves to run at players at speed, relishing the physical battle, and he looks a decent find for Saints... 6

Replacements (who played more more than 20 minutes)

PAUL HILL (for Painter 50)

Added a bit of extra energy in attack and didn't have any real difficulties in the scrum but Saints were already well up against it by the time he came on... 6

CHRON STAR MAN - Mike Brown (Harlequins)