Our opponents today have also qualified for Europe but have gone one better than us and finished top of the league and enter into the fight for Premiership champions. We wish them all the best for their quest for the title. Sale have progressed forward in leaps and bounds this season and have shown a real consistency in their performances, which has been a quality they have not always had. But this year has been a product of being able to keep their squad together for a long period as well as introducing of a couple of new faces. That is something we are trying to emulate here at Franklin’s Gardens.

Going back to last week, we had one of worst performances of the season up until the 71st minute then all of a sudden the team kicked into top gear. The coaches always knew that once the team got their first score, then we would stand a real chance of taking the bonus point. But to actually win it within those nine minutes was unbelievable. I would like to thank and apologise to the huge support that came down to Bristol on Sunday. Sorry, we put you through that!

We have approached this game as we do every league game and that is to maximise our performance and to make sure we have trained and worked hard and studied our opponents as much as we can. This is a big game and we are looking forward to it immensely.

I hope you have enjoyed the season it has been a rollercoaster at times but that is the Premiership for you. We would like to wish you the best for the close season and we hope you enjoy today’s game.

Come on you Jimmies.