'Inconsistent and not good enough' - Dowson's verdict on Saints' start to season

And that was exactly what boss Phil Dowson was asked to do following the 45-39 defeat at Saracens on Sunday afternoon.

Saints were hit by a Saracens comeback as the hosts recovered from going 39-17 down to secure the victory, which was their ninth in as many league matches during this campaign.

Dowson's side have had a much tougher start to the season, winning just four of the nine games on record, though they did also win at Wasps.

And when asked how he felt about how things had gone for Saints in the league so far, Dowson said: "It's been inconsistent and not good enough, and that's from me being director of rugby and everyone really.

"The results are a reflection of what we're coaching and the way we're coaching it so we need to be better.

"It's frustrating and we've talked about that before, but at the same time it's not disheartening because we're doing so much good stuff."

Saints travel to Newcastle Falcons in the Premiership Rugby Cup on Saturday before hosting the Barbarians a week later.

Dowson's side don't return to league action until they travel to Gloucester on December 3.

"We're giving some guys who've played a lot of minutes some time off," Dowson said.

"It's a good opportunity for guys who haven't had a lot of minutes since the last PRC game to have a go.

"We'll try to upskill some of those guys to make sure when they do step up they're ready to go."