Saints hurting so much as they seek to end sorry home streak

Saints were beaten by Sale in their most recent competitive game at Franklin's Gardens

The black, green and gold have lost every home league game they have played during this calendar year, racking up seven successive Franklin's Gardens defeats in the Premiership.

Overall, Chris Boyd's side have been beaten in 14 of the past 15 matches they have played in all competitions.

The latest loss came at Sale Sharks last Friday night, with Saints edged out 32-23 at the AJ Bell Stadium.

And forwards coach Dowson is now desperate to deliver a long-awaited win at home to Harlequins this afternoon (kick-off 2pm).

"I know the fans will be hugely disappointed and very hurt, but the players, the coaching staff and the support staff are all hurting a lot, too," said Dowson, who played 186 games for Saints between 2009 and 2015.

"We're all in the same boat and it's incredibly disappointing and frustrating because we're not doing our jobs, effectively.

"We're not winning games and we're not performing so that frustration has to be channeled in the right way and it has to provide us with energy and desire to be better and work hard and make sure we right the wrongs of some of the disappointments we've had this year.

"Everyone hates losing. There are lads who don't get to the level they are playing without being competitive, and that's the same with the support staff and definitely the same with the coaching staff.

"It has an impact on everything you do in your life. It has an impact on your family, it has an impact right across the board so it's not nice.

"The sooner we get back to winning ways, the better.

"The whole point of us being here is to win games of rugby and enjoy doing so."

And Dowson added: "The margins are tight.

"We think of the London Irish game, the Bristol game, the Saracens game with intercepts and things.

"We've been in a lot of these games and we haven't been hopeless but we have been poor.

"We've had the opportunity to win matches and we had the opportunity to win at Sale at certain points but we haven't been doing it.

"The next step, which is the hardest step, is to make sure those could-have-beens, turn into beens, both on the road and at the Gardens.

"We've got a lot of talented players and you look around the room and you think we should be doing a lot better than we are.

"We'll keep plugging away and keep working until we get what we want."