Victor Matfield says that Saints’ late comeback to beat Bath on Saturday was the perfect way for his team to thank their supporters for their fantastic support. In his last appearance at the Gardens, Matfield praised the Saints fans for the way they have supported his side during his time in Northampton.
“I must have been all over the world and I’ve never seen loyal fans like this,” he told Saints TV. “I think the guys just showed what it means to play in front of this magnificent crowd. The victory was great pay back by the players to their great fans.”
With 79 minutes on the clock Matfield crucially stole a Bath line out just inside the Saints’ half. That steal ultimately ensured that Saints came out on top by the narrowest of margins, and was a moment that Matfield clearly enjoyed.
“Coming out here in almost the last minute, here at Franklin’s Gardens and getting a nice steal was just fantastic. I really enjoyed the 23 minutes I had. Hopefully that little steal at the end can help us get into the Champions Cup next year!”
“You always just want to get on the pitch and make a difference. I think we played all the rugby but we just weren’t clinical enough; we just made silly errors.”
Looking ahead to next week, Matfield said that his side will be looking to end the season strongly with victory over Gloucester: “We will probably want to finish this year on a high so it’s going to be a big challenge. We’re going to go down there and show what we can do.”
