'Together everyone achieves more' - Mayanavanua hails Saints' team spirit

Phil Dowson's men have now won 14 of their past 15 matches in all competitions, with the latest victory coming in the local derby against Leicester Tigers last Saturday.

Saints were 10-6 down at half-time in that match but roared back to win it 40-17.

And Mayanavanua, who was playing in an East Midlands derby for the first time, said: "I loved the physical encounter with Leicester.

"Throughout the week, the boys were saying they were going to be physical and bring it up front - and that's what they did.

"But hats off to the boys for hanging in.

"It was tough in the first half because they were getting through our breakdowns but the boys dug in and you could just feel the brotherhood we form outside the field - it was present in the game.

"I always believe the meaning of a team is together everyone achieves more, and to have that brotherhood outside of the field, you can see it on the field.

"The first half didn't go our way but there was always another 40 minutes to look forward to.

"The message at half-time was just to do the simple stuff right and we'll always come out on top."

Mayanavanua insists there was never any panic in the Saints dressing room after a difficult first half.

"It was all good - we had it under control," said the Fiji lock.

"We'll always have those moments in the game, and it's how we bounce back that matters.

"The people that came off the bench brought with them a lot of energy and a lot of tempo.

"We always like to have a win."

Mayanavanua savoured the derby-day atmosphere at a sold-out cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.

"It was really loud and there were a couple of times where I couldn't even hear our own lineout calls because of how loud it was," he said.

"It's what you expect in a derby game."

Mayanavanua has made a strong impression during his first season at Saints, and he can't wait for huge matches against Harlequins at Twickenham and Leinster at Croke Park during the next two weekends.

He said: "I'm just someone that wants to add my five per cent to the team and do my best to make sure the team gets that W.

"These are the moments that we live for and these are the moments that inspire us to play rugby, to play in front of these big crowds, at big stadiums under pressure. It's about how well we deal with it that will get us the results."