Castres will be a brand new destination for the Saints team and its supporters in this season's Heineken Cup. Here is a brief guide to the town and its rugby club.

Phil Dowson is writing a diary from the 2010 Churchill Cup for rfu.com. Here is the first installment as the Saxons look to go one better than last year and win back their crown.

It's a funny old business, professional sport. When we played Harlequins, on Nov 21st last year at Franklin's Gardens, we moved into third position in the league. We then win the next five games in the Guinness Premiership, playing some brilliant rugby, and we still remain third. Last Saturday we played poorly, lost to the Quins and...moved up to second!!! All courtesy of a losing bonus point. As usual a massive thank you to all of the Saints supporters who travelled away.

In the past two weeks we have had some real highs and lows in our Guinness Premiership games against Newcastle and Harlequins.

These are exciting times. We are in the top four of the Guiness Premiership, the semi-final of the LV= Anglo-Welsh cup and of course we are the only English club in the quarter finals of the Heineken European Cup. So we're handily placed. However what really sorts the men out from the boys is the ability to turn this position into winning some silverware this season. This is where you come in. We need your support, at home and away, every game.

Thanks to four weeks of Heineken Cup and LV= Cup action, and the postponed match in Bath, today is our first Guinness Premiership game since the New Year weekend.

Firstly let me welcome all the folk from Leicester at today's game, the first of two local derbies against the Tigers this month. I'm sure they will be extremely competitive, especially since we have the home advantage on both occasions.

Although we have won three games from three qualification for the semi-finals is far from assured, nor is a home tie in the next round. To ensure both we have to win against Leicester this afternoon in a game that is sure to be extremely competitive.

By the end of this week we will know whether we have qualified for the quarter finals of the Heineken European Cup or not. We have two very tough games. Today we welcome Perpignan, the current French Top 14 champions, for what I expect will be a very tough game. They certainly played well against us in France, and we'll have to be on form to win today.

Firstly a very Happy New Year to everyone. Certainly if we can keep the momentum up it will be for all Saints' supporters. Having won our last eight games means we go into the second half of the season in fine fettle.

Having no rugby last weekend was an opportunity for us to recharge our batteries, but it was frustrating as well.

At the moment we are winning without hitting our maximum for a full 80 minutes. We struggled to overcome a tricky Treviso outfit that was intent on trying to slow our play down while also putting all the emphasis on our own attacking game by sending down lots of kicks from their fly half, Marius Goosen.

Now well into his second season at the Saints, Roger Wilson has continued to display the fine form that saw him dubbed Mr. Consistent for last season's campaign.

With his quick turn of pace and a thunderous hit, Saints fans are accustomed to Soane Tonga'uiha hammering across the gain line - he has after all done it 99 times to date. It's one of the reasons he has become a fans' favourite at Franklin's Gardens and the big Tongan spoke to Tom Kwah ahead of today's game, about his century and life with the Saints.

A player who belies his age with a mixture of physicality and pace, Courtney Lawes has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the rugby ranks. Saints' newest England international took time out to speak to Tom Kwah.

As one of the most promising fly halves in English, if not world rugby, the signing of Shane Geraghty for the Saints in the summer of 2009 was a massive coup. After an 8 o'clock kicking session with Paul Grayson on the frozen training pitches at Franklin's Gardens the number ten took time out to speak with Tom Kwah.

A big welcome to everyone today to what will be our last home game this year. So, a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful 2010 to you all.

From where I am sitting the air seems to be rarefied. Four wins on the trot, including last week's terrific performance in Newcastle. The big question is can we turn this into a habit? With your help I think we can. Well done to all the fans that turned up to watch last week's game. I didn't manage to buy you all a pint but I made a serious effort and I certainly had a few myself!

As we approach the end of the year the Guinness Premiership takes another two-week break as we return to the Heineken Cup.

Over the past two weeks we have consolidated our place in the top half of the Guinness Premiership table with two wins over Harlequins and Newcastle.