Key Saints figures reveal what they are looking forward to most about a future return to rugby normality

A Premiership Rugby season restart date of August 15 was revealed on Friday morning, but games will be played behind closed doors to begin with.

That will mean fans are restricted to getting their rugby fix via the television.

But when supporters are eventually allowed to return to the Gardens, it will be a special moment.

And at the online season ticket holders' forum, director of rugby Chris Boyd, chairman John White, CEO Mark Darbon and co-captains Alex Waller and Teimana Harrison took a glimpse into the future.

They were asked what they are most looking forward to when fans are able to watch rugby at Franklin's Gardens again.

And here are their answers...

White: The experience of the crowds building and the watching the players warm up. That'll do for me for starters and let the rest flow. I can't wait for that moment.

Darbon: Seeing Chris Boyd's moustache in person. I've seen a lot of it vitrually but I'd like to see that thing in real life.

Waller: Running out at the Gardens and particularly getting back into that changing room environment with the lads day in, day out. Playing on a Saturday is the main one.

Harrison: Probably witnessing Paul Hill have a shower because I doubt he's had one. But getting back into the changing room and running out at the Gardens - you can't beat that feeling of running out in front of a packed house.

Boyd: The obvious answer is when everyone is sat there at the Gardens singing and we're away again. That's the barometer for us but there's an awful lot of water to go under the bridge before then and the first and foremost thing is the safety of our families and the extended family. When I went to the Gardens recently I bumped into an old guy who goes to games regularly and he's missing terribly his contact with people. There's a great community connection around the club. I'm also looking forward to who is disciplined around the social distancing when the guys get back together because there's such a tempation when you haven't seen someone for a while to shake their hand or put their arm around their shoulder so we're probably going to have to have a set of tazers to keep the social distancing. I just hope we can get through this with great safety for everyone and get back to where we were, which I think we will and more.