Tom's timed his return well as Saints continue to fight on three fronts

But he took it all in his stride, making the most of his chance to decompress and enjoying the company of others who were also experiencing the recovery process.

"I had a little while out – the longest I’ve done so far, about 11 weeks in the end," said Litchfield, who picked up the injury in a game at Bristol Bears in late November and had to wait until the victory at Harlequins on February 13 to make his return.

"It’s good to be back playing and I’m happy to be involved."

When asked how he handled his three-month lay-off, Litchfield said: "It was okay, actually.

"There were a few boys who were injured for long periods as well – Will Glister is still injured now and we had the same injury, so it was quite nice that we could go through doing everything together so I couldn’t get too lonely, or anything. The lads get around you as well.

"Will’s injury was a bit different – he had surgery – so he was a month extra to me. He’ll be back soon as well, but it was nice to go through it with someone."

In the same game that Litchfield picked up his injury, Tom West suffered a knee issue.

"It was funny because we were both injured in the same game then we both came back in the same game (at Harlequins), so that was quite nice for both of us to get back on the pitch at that time," Litchfield said.

"It’s nice because you can definitely feel isolated, especially if you have a long injury and you’re just in the gym every day and not really seeing anyone. It was nice to see some faces every now and again.

"You just see the boys going out for training and you’re going back up to the gym when you just want to go out and train with them.

"It’s been nice to be back out, and the weather’s starting to turn now so it’s a good time to get back out there."

When asked whether he took time to reflect on his own game and his personal development while he was out injured, Litchfield said: "I took it as a bit of an opportunity to not think about rugby too much.

"Obviously, you watch the lads at the weekend, but it gave me time to focus on getting some better gym numbers or focusing on body composition, and stuff like that, so you can get away from the rugby a bit.

"You’re normally always thinking about it all the time, so it was quite nice to have a little break from that."

Litchfield is now happy to be back thinking about rugby on a daily basis though, especially as there is so much to be excited about.

Saints are still very much in the running on all three fronts this season, having booked their place in the PREM Rugby Cup semi-finals last weekend.

"We’ve been going well in the PREM Cup with our young crew," Litchfield said. "We’re three wins from three in this block and we’ve qualified for the semis, which is really exciting.

"We’re fighting for silverware on three fronts now, so it’s pretty exciting.

"If we can get back into the PREM with some silverware, that would be great.

"If we can just keep winning and playing well, then that’s going to put us in good stead when we get back into the PREM."

Litchfield may only be 23 years old but he has already racked up 72 appearances for Saints.

So does he feel like one of the more senior men during PREM Rugby Cup weeks, when so many players who are younger than him are being selected.

"I do feel a little bit like that, but I guess I still feel young in age," Litchfield said.

"You feel like you fit in and if I can help some of the guys who are coming through now, with what I’ve done previously, then so be it and I’ll do that.

"We’re a massive club for trying to instil confidence in young lads and wanting them to show their talents. You see that with Edoardo Todaro, and stuff like that, they just come out here and do what they did at school.

"We’re massive on just encouraging lads to just be themselves and be confident – you see that with James Pater playing at 10, not his usual position, and just having a stormer against Leicester.

"We just want to instil them with some confidence and let them do what they need to do.

"I think maybe 10 or so years ago it would surprise people to see 18 or 19-year-olds in the team, but it’s getting a bit more common now to see lads come through at that age and be ready to play PREM rugby."

Next up for Saints is a clash with Saracens at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday (kick-off 3.05pm).

The black, green and gold will be eager to win to try to keep hopes of a home PREM Rugby Cup final alive.

"I think the boys always have motivation to beat Saracens, and we’ve gone well against them over the last few times we’ve played them," Litchfield said.

"Obviously, you love to win at home, so there’s plenty of motivation for us to keep the ball rolling into the semis."