Saints '˜lucky to have' star Wood during Six Nations

Wood turned in yet another superb performance for his club as they overpowered London Irish 35-7 on Saturday.

The indefatigable flanker started the move that led to a stunning team try for Lee Dickson.

And his all-round game was hugely impressive as Saints ran in five scores to close the gap to the top four to just two points.

Wood was left out of England’s Six Nations squad by new head coach Eddie Jones and was told to improve his work rate by the national boss.

But Saints assistant coach Dickens said: “Tom Wood’s a class player.

“He’s one of the best players in England, if not the best player in his position.

“We are lucky to have him.

“His work rate is immense and you see that week in, week out in terms of the metres he covers, the tackles he hits, the breakdowns he hits.

“He’s an outstanding professional from Monday through to Sunday and we can’t speak highly enough of him here at the club.”