Saints boss Dowson issues Odendaal injury update

Odendaal was involved in a brutal collision early in the second half and had to come off to be replaced by George Hendy, who went on to set up the winning try in a 25-21 victory at Twickenham.

The news was not good on Odendaal, whose knee issue has required surgery.

The South African has not had much luck since joining Saints as he has previously battled shoulder and hamstring problems.

And speaking this week, Dowson said: "He's had to have an operation so he's out for a considerable period of time.

"He was outstanding, particularly in those last two games of the season.

"He was probably man of the match in the semi-final, try scorer, and in the final, first 40 minutes he was a definite thorn in Bath's side.

"One of the things he's so frustrated over is he's actually had a very good injury history record. He can't work out how he's picked up so many in one season. He's frustrated.

"We've been delighted with how he's played and he's such a good guy in the environment as well.

"We'll make sure we put him back together and get him healthy as quickly as possible."