Northampton Saints 43 Scarlets 28: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

But that's where Saints were at on Sunday evening as they reflected on the completion of their Investec Champions Cup mission at a sold-out cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.

It felt like, aside from the odd glimpse here and there, they rarely clicked into gear against a stubborn and spirited Scarlets side.

Yet there they were, celebrating a third win in four pool-stage matches, and by a margin of 15 points.

It certainly didn't feel that comfortable at times, especially when Saints were 14-7 down after 35 minutes and just five points up with eight minutes to go.

But when the going got tough, the tough got going as Phil Dowson's men made the moments that mattered count.

They got some individual inspiration from Edoardo Todaro, with his extremely well-finished second try late in the first half laying the foundations for a half-time lead as he went on to score again from the final play of the opening 40 minutes.

And with the home forwards continuing to totally boss the scrum battle, Scarlets looked to have had the life sucked out of them as they fell 33-14 behind.

To their immense credit, and the credit of their vociferous travelling supporters, they kept going, and they got their rewards as two tries helped them set up a nerve-jangling finale.

But Saints again came good to close the door, notching a penalty before Callum Chick's last-gasp try put the icing on the pool-stage cake.

Saints had spent much of the build-up to the game unsure about exactly what they needed to do to guarantee second spot in Pool 4 and the home round of 16 tie that it would present.

After Bristol's defeat to Bordeaux just before kick-off at the Gardens, the win-only scenario became clear, but some of the attacking play seemed muddled, almost as though Saints were subconsciously thinking they needed to pile on the points to go above the Bears in the standings.

Scarlets brought plenty of fight and a lot of linespeed as they forced the likes of Anthony Belleau and the Saints centres into making quick decisions.

Usually, those men thrive in those situations, but it didn't quite happen on several occasions in this match, keeping hopes high for the Scarlets as they sought to upset the odds by claiming their first pool-stage win of the season.

Those hopes were eventually snuffed out in the final five minutes, but the Welshmen could be proud of their performance.

For Saints, aside from at the scrum, where they were so, so dominant, it wasn't a performance they will truly savour.

But it is yet another example of how far this club has come in Europe in recent years, that they could lose possession so many times and yet score so many points that ultimately resulted in a sizeable success.

They have made winning a habit in the Champions Cup - and how they would love that to continue all the way to Bilbao.

But now the focus switches back to the Gallagher PREM, a competition in which they top the table, and the massive matter of a trip to one of their most unhappy hunting grounds.

Sale Sharks will lie in wait at the venue that is now called the CorpAcq Stadium, but whatever the name of it has been before, Saints have rarely celebrated there.

They have had some tough experiences at the home of the Sharks, who will treat this weekend's game like a knockout tie, as shown by the fact they rested so many of their stars at Toulouse on Saturday.

Sale still feel the top four is attainable for them in the PREM this season and they will be revved up for revenge after they were beaten at the Gardens last month.

So Saints will hope the points they left in the bank against Scarlets can pay out at Sale as they'll need every one of them to unbalance the Sharks this weekend.

How they rated…

JAMES RAMM - set up two tries with some direct running and perfect timing of the pass as he made a successful return from injury... 7.5

EDOARDO TODARO - CHRON STAR MAN - really helped to turn the first half in Saints' favour as he notched three tries before the break, one of which was an exceptional finish that left Scarlets bamboozled on their left wing... 8.5

TOMMY FREEMAN - It's not often Saints score more than 40 points and this guy doesn't get on the scoresheet. But not much came his way here and he saw a couple of passes slip from his grasp... 6.5

FRASER DINGWALL - made his return from what looked a scary injury just a couple of weeks earlier and he certainly didn't shy away from contact, making plenty of tackles... 7

OLLIE SLEIGHTHOLME - you could see the confidence coming back minute by minute after such a tough spell with injuries, and it culminated with this man scoring a superb try... 7.5

ANTHONY BELLEAU - kicked well from the tee and fronted up defensively, but things didn't quite click for him at times as Scarlets put pressure on the fly-half to make quick passes... 6.5

ALEX MITCHELL - saw his attempted clearance charged down for an early Scarlets try but responded well, setting up a try for Todaro with a lovely flat pass... 6.5

MANNY IYOGUN - another big outing from the loosehead prop, who helped to pile the pressure on Scarlets at scrum time... 8

ROBBIE SMITH - got stuck in for his side and helped to put the Scarlets forwards under pressure with a typically lively showing... 8

TREVOR DAVISON - put Scarlets under so much pressure at scrum time, resulting in a yellow card for their loosehead... 8.5

CHUNYA MUNGA - a huge shift from the lock, who did plenty of dirty work and made a whopping 18 tackles, seven more than any other Saints player... 8

JJ VAN DER MESCHT - made some trademark massive carries to help Saints put Scarlets under pressure and his physicality really took its toll on some of the opposition players... 8

JOSH KEMENY - charged around the field, using his speed into contact to cause problems for Scarlets at times, and he also had an impact at lineout time... 7.5

SAM GRAHAM - won a couple of key breakdown penalties as he looked hungry for action in the seven shirt. Appeared to take a knock that meant he came off in the second half... 7.5

HENRY POLLOCK - delivered one electric run into Scarlets territory in what was another dynamic display from the young back row star... 8

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

ELLIOT MILLAR MILLS (for Davison 47) - made a couple of strong carries but Scarlets started to respond in the second half... 6

CRAIG WRIGHT (for Smith 52) - etched his name on the scoresheet thanks to a dominant lineout drive and he was eager to make an impact... 6

DANILO FISCHETTI (for Iyogun 52) - a real mixed showing from the prop as he was thunderous when he got the ball, but he did give away some avoidable penalties... 6

GEORGE HENDY (for Ramm 52) - showed good awareness to keep the ball in and keep playing to ensure the Scarlets could never relax... 6