Saints scrum-half Mitchell: 'I've been hit and miss since the restart'

And the talented young scrum-half is desperate to find some consistency during the final two matches of the season as he bids to set himself up for the next campaign.

Mitchell and Henry Taylor have been given the task of filling the No.9 shirt void left by reigning player of the season Cobus Reinach.

But with Saints struggling, winning just once since the restart, it has not been an easy task.

"It's been a weird time for everyone, coming back after Covid, no fans and trying to adapt to that situation," Mitchell said.

"But it's been good for me to actually get some games together and actually play so I've enjoyed that part.

"I've been hit and miss since the restart.

"I've been trying to get my full game together.

"I've made a few silly errors here and there, and then done some good things.

"It comes with game time and I've got to put ownership on myself to be consistent every week.

"It's been frustrating at times but hopefully I find my feet and just keep pushing forward.

"Our results aren't an excuse for individual performances.

"After a few defeats confidence does go down and then you're put under more pressure and seem to make more mistakes but it's something we need to figure out ourselves.

"We need that confidence back because we know we can win games quite easily and as soon as we get that back we'll be fine."

Saints' season will finally end this week, though it feels as though the action has flown by since the restart with so many games packed into such a short space of time.

"It has been weird - it's come and gone so quickly," said Mitchell, who will start against Sale Sharks at Franklin's Gardens on Tuesday evening.

"It's been frustrating for us because we wanted to make top four and we haven't done that.

"It's been enjoyable to play rugby again after lockdown and now we've got two games left with not much to play for, but we've got to build for next season.

"We need to take some momentum into next season so we're definitely still looking to win and push that into next season.

"A few people might think these are nothing games but it's everything for next season and we need to put it together when we can.

"This off-season is short, we've only got three weeks and then we're straight back into it so we know if we get a couple of good performances and wins hopefully we can take that into next season."

Meetings with Sale are always special for Mitchell, who swapped the Sharks for the Saints when he was just 18.

"I always enjoy playing Sale because I came through their ranks," said the 23-year-old.

"I know quite a few of their players, including the Curry brothers, and they're always a tough side to face.

"I joined Sale when I was 15 and was always in the EPDG setups.

"I had the chance to join Saints, which I took, and I was really happy when I did.

"I moved at 18 and came down here.

"Sale have been good this season, they've had a good influx of players and they've got a good environment.

"They're pushing for top four, credit to them and it will be interesting to see where they go."

Sale certainly boast one of the best No.9s in the game, with South Africa star Faf de Klerk lining up against Mitchell and Co at the Gardens this week.

"He's not too bad!" Mitchell said.

"He's probably one of the best scrum-halves in the world so you've got to respect that, but you've got an opportunity to prove yourself.

"It should be a fun encounter."