Saints set for the run-in after taking a much-needed break

But boss Phil Dowson says it was good for his side to get a break ahead of a massive match at Leicester Tigers on Saturday (kick-off 3.05pm).

The black, green and gold came agonisingly close to setting up a semi-final trip to Bordeaux to take on the side they were beaten by in last season's Champions Cup showpiece in Cardiff.

But having been edged out by Bath late on at The Rec last month, Saints instead had last week off.

And after an intense period of massive matches, that rest and reset was welcomed.

"We'd had six games post-Six Nations, which had been full on, and it's always good to get a break after that," Dowson said.

"We'd have obviously have rather have been playing in a semi-final, but we took that opportunity to get some rest and get set for the run-in."

So what did Dowson get up to during his time off?

He said: "I had a couple of days in Newcastle seeing my mother and then I had various school runs, taking the kids swimming, some gardening and various bits and pieces.

"I also watched plenty of rugby.

"I watched our games back and watched the semi-finals.

"I thought it (the Bordeaux-Bath game, which Bordeaux won 38-26) was very entertaining and nip and tuck right up until the last 10 minutes really.

"It was a high-quality game.

"Bordeaux are incredibly dangerous and I thought some of their defence, particularly in their own 22, was the difference really."

Saints have plenty of knowledge of both Bordeaux and Bath, having faced them both in plenty of high-octane matches in recent times.

The black, green and gold's most recent game was a nerve-jangling 41-38 success at home to a heavily-rotated Bath team in the Gallagher PREM on April 25.

Having taken some time to reflect further on that match, Dowson said: "We weren't quite at it in some areas and we let them back in.

"We were disappointed with some of those aspects and they gave us a real clear indication of what we needed to train and what we needed to be better at."

Saints now face the prospect of two big PREM games in the space of just six days as they go to Tigers on Saturday before hosting another play-off chasing side, Bristol Bears, on the following Friday.

So how has Dowson found planning this period with Saints keen to get things right before the PREM end-of-season shootout?

"It's good," he said.

"We have contingency plans as we go through the season as to what it might look like.

"Over four weeks we'll have played second (Bath), third (Leicester), fourth (Exeter) and fifth (Bristol) in the table so it's a particularly challenging time of year, hence us taking last week off.

"We won't have a full week off next time (with another rest weekend on May 23) but we'll take the opportunity after Bristol to recover, rest, work on our game and make sure we're ready for Gloucester and Harlequins."