Courageous win gives Saints belief ahead of Saracens clash

David Ribbans says Saints have plenty to work on ahead of Saturday's clash with Saracens at Allianz Park.
David Ribbans took the acclaim of his team-mates after scoring a crucial late try against Bath last SaturdayDavid Ribbans took the acclaim of his team-mates after scoring a crucial late try against Bath last Saturday
David Ribbans took the acclaim of his team-mates after scoring a crucial late try against Bath last Saturday

But the lock believes the courage his side showed to overcome Bath last weekend was commendable.

Ribbans was the last-gasp hero as he took a quick tap penalty and powered over in added time.

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James Grayson converted to secure a 27-26 victory at Franklin's Gardens, pushing Saints up to fifth in the Gallagher Premiership standings.

But they now face their toughest test, travelling to a Saracens side they have lost to in the past eight meetings between the clubs in all competitions.

"We made seriously hard work of it at the weekend," Ribbans said.

"We know we weren't at our best by a long shot but what we've spoken about is how important it was to get the win and we managed to get over the line.

"It was vital to get that victory.

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"There's lots to work on for this weekend but we can be happy with the win on Saturday.

"We made a lot of mistakes, especially in our lineouts, we weren't good enough, and it's always hard when you get that wrong.

"But we showed a lot of courage so we can take that forward.

"We'll review the game and come back with a plan for Saracens.

"It's a big week ahead for us."

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On the try he scored, Ribbans said: "We got the penalty and I just had little Mitch (Alex Mitchell) in my ear saying 'tap and go, tap and go' and I wasn't going to turn that opportunity down.

"I just went for it!

"We went through a lot of phases, had a lineout we didn't quite convert but we kept going and kept going, sticking to our structure.

"We got a lucky break with the try."

And Ribbans feels the fact Saints did get over the line to secure their fourth win in five league matches show how they are progressing as a team.

"I don't know if we'd have been able to win that game a couple of years ago," said the 23-year-old, who joined Saints in the winter of 2017.

"We showed a lot of courage and determination at the end to get that win.

"It's a different kind of victory but it's still as valuable and we learned a lot."