'They can beat anyone on their day' - Saints boss Boyd looks ahead to London Irish clash

But the Kiwi boss is hoping his side can spoil the party on what is a big St Patrick's Day celebration for Irish.

It will be Saints' first trip to the Brentford Community Stadium, where a number of special events will take place on Saturday.

But the full focus for Boyd and Co will be on the field, with Saints desperately in need of a win to keep their slim Gallagher Premiership play-off hopes alive.

To do that, they will have to beat a London Irish side who have lost just one of their past six matches in all competitions.

And Boyd said: "Statistically they're probably one of the best teams in this competition.

"If you look at their set piece, their defence, their attack, their breakdown and where they sit in those statistics that the league keeps, they're a very good side.

"They've got some very good individuals and they are a tough team.

"Going down there, it's a St Patrick's Day fixture for them, they're expecting a big crowd so it will be a good contest.

"We know what's coming so it's just a matter of getting our own house in order and tweaking it to look after specific things they bring.

"We're looking forward to it."

Irish's improvement this season sees them sitting sixth in the Premiership standings, though one of their seven defeats did come against Saints at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens back in October.

"In the past couple of years, they've been capable of beating anyone on their day," Boyd said.

"But, like most teams in the Premiership, they've been a little bit up and down, just as we've been a little bit up and down.

"The teams in the middle of the table all suffer from a little bit of inconsistency."