'They'll be mad for it' - Saints expecting huge cup test against Coventry

Saints won 19-10 at Coventry back in November (photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images)Saints won 19-10 at Coventry back in November (photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images)
Saints won 19-10 at Coventry back in November (photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images)
Phil Dowson knows Coventry will be 'mad for it' when they come to cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 2.45pm).

And the Saints boss says it's 'game on' in the race for a quarter-final place in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

Coventry were 76-21 winners against Nottingham on Saturday afternoon, with that bonus-point success drawing them level with Saints at the top of Pool 2 with four matches played.

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Coventry's only defeat in the competition was a narrow one at home to Saints back in November.

And Dowson knows the Championship side will be fired up this weekend.

"It's game on," said Dowson, who saw his side claim a try bonus point in a 54-33 defeat to a strong Leicester Tigers team at Mattioli Woods Welford Road last Saturday.

"We've got Coventry this week, which will be a proper game, then we've got Nottingham away and then we'll work out where we're at.

"It's one day at a time.

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"We'll review and make sure we get everything out of the Leicester game.

"They (Coventry) will be mad for it. There's lots of history there and it was a huge test for us away from home so we'll make sure we prepare accordingly and we give ourselves a chance to get a quarter-final as we look to get through in this tournament."

Saints will be hoping to avoid a repeat of last weekend's slow start as they fell 21-0 down inside 23 minutes against Leicester before battling back.

When asked why Saints struggled to get out of the blocks at Tigers, Dowson said: "I'd imagine it's probably different for different people and there's a whole host of reasons.

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"We had people making their debut, people who've been out injured coming back in - all those sorts of things.

"We maybe didn't get it right at the start and we'll talk about the emotional side of it and the preparation side of it over the next few days."

Several youngsters impressed against Leicester, most notably 19-year-old centre Billy Pasco, who started a Saints game for the first time.

"I thought Billy Pasco on his first start against that calibre of opposition was outstanding," Dowson said.

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"Billy was playing against (Solomone) Kata and Dan Kelly and a lot of lads who have got international caps so that's exactly what it's about.

"You work out that it's not that different, it's the game I've always played and I've just got to be a bit sharper, a bit brighter and they're more than capable of playing at this level."

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