'They have our complete respect' - Furbank hails connection between Saints players and coaches

After last season's painful Investec Champions Cup final defeat in Cardiff, players were in tears, with director of rugby Phil Dowson and Sam Vesty quick to put an arm around them.

On other days, the hugs that have come from the coaches have been far happier, with Dowson and Vesty regularly embracing their players in the kind of manner you would expect from a father to a son.

So close is the bond between not only the playing squad but also the coaching staff at Saints that it truly feels like they are all in it together.

That perhaps comes from the development mantra at the club as the black, green and gold have built not only skill but also immense team spirit over recent years.

The young English coaches lead a young largely English group of players, watching them grow from boys to men.

And so it is very much like parenthood as the transition from teenagers to fully grown adults takes place under the watchful gaze of Dowson, Vesty and Co.

George Furbank, who skippered Saints to victory again last weekend, is one of the players who has spent the majority of his first-team career being guided by Dowson and Vesty.

And this week, he has been speaking about the complete respect the players have for those men and the rest of the Saints management team.

“It's probably hard to keep Dows and Vesty off the pitch to be honest!” Furbank said, laughing when he was asked about the regular post-match hugs the players get from the coaches.

“They want to be out there as much as we do and they live it as much as us.

“They've been part of that whole journey of us coming through and becoming regulars in the first team so it's pretty cool sharing it with the boys and the coaches.”

So how do the coaches strike the balance between building a rapport with their players but also giving them constructive criticism when they feel they need it?

“They do it pretty well,” Furbank said.

“There's probably been some times on some socials where it's gone a little bit matey, but ultimately they have our complete respect and I guess that's what you need as a coach.

“They're all very good at their jobs, we trust in them and they trust in us to go and put out what they coach us.

“They've got a real good balance there.”

The connection between the Saints players is also extremely strong as so many of them have grown up playing alongside each other.

They have tasted tough moments and come out the other side, building not only team spirit but also belief.

Furbank explained: “It's part of the environment that we have and part of the reason boys love playing here and coming here to play because a lot of us have grown up together and now to go through that whole journey of breaking into the first team, trying to stick in the first team and now performing week in, week out with that same group of people is a pretty special feeling.”

Rumours have been swirling about Furbank's future as the England full-back has been strongly linked with a move to Harlequins when his contract runs out this summer.

But his full focus remains on steering Saints to silverware this season and when asked about where he will be playing next season this week, he said: “Not confirmed, nothing finalised yet.

“I'm sure I'll let you know when it is.”

Furbank was at the heart of Saints' 21-17 success against Saracens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Saturday, delivering a typically classy showing from 15 and then 10 after Fin Smith was forced off with concussion.

Saints had gone 17-14 down with eight minutes to go, but Archie McParland's try six minutes later sealed a memorable away win.

“Last weekend was unbelievable,” Furbank said. “To play in a stadium like that is pretty cool and to have an atmosphere like that was a wicked experience. It helps coming away with a win there.

“We performed unbelievably well in the first 20, 30 minutes and then it became just a bit of a physical-fest to be honest, but we stuck at it and came away with a win.

“We speak a lot in Europe about making memories and going to play at places we don't get to play at often, and this was a bit different because it was the PREM but we were playing at a stadium not many other people have had the opportunity to play at.

“We relished that and get really excited about those sorts of things.”

Next up for Saints is an Investec Champions Cup round of 16 home clash with Castres Olympique on Friday night.

And Furbank can't wait for it.

He said: “A knockout fixture at home - they don't come around too often. I know they have fairly recently but not in the past.

“It's Friday night at home at the Gardens, a big crowd again so the boys are incredibly excited to get back going.”