‘That was a proper fight’, was Tommy Freeman’s opening reaction to Northampton Saints’ 28–14 victory over Gloucester Rugby at a sold-out DPD Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
The England and British & Irish Lions international hit the nail on the head. The men in Black, Green and Gold rolled up their sleeves to overturn a two-try deficit, ultimately shutting out the visitors for 50 minutes and securing a crucial five-point haul.
With five weeks now until their next Gallagher PREM match, Northampton head into the PREM Rugby Cup period third in the table, with three wins from their opening five league games.
“It was a proper Saturday night under the lights,” added Freeman. “It was wintery, dewy, it was definitely a scrap. At half-time, with it being 14-14, I thought we had a lot more in us.
With 30 minutes played, Saints had work to do as Max Llewellyn and Will Joseph both crossed the line. But by the time the half-time whistle sounded, Curtis Langdon and Tom Pearson had countered, with Anthony Belleau adding a pair of conversions.
Focusing on his side’s slow start, Freeman said: “I’ll be honest, it probably started in our warm-up. It wasn’t really on the ball and we were struggling a little bit with that factor. Colesy, Dingers and a few of the other boys brought us in and really found a bit in us.
“We had to get a reaction, essentially – especially after last week against Leicester. We needed to put it right, especially in front of the home fans. They definitely got us over the line.”
The 14 points conceded was the fewest Saints had shipped in a PREM match since the 61–0 victory over Newcastle Red Bulls nearly two years ago.
“You can attack all you like and punish teams with ball in hand, but ultimately you want to stop them getting over the line as well,” reflected Freeman.
“Gloucester were brilliant – you could see why they were top of the league. They stressed us in areas for sure. Credit to Gloucester, but we found a bit and we did both sides [attack and defence] quite well today.”
A reshuffled Saints backline saw Freeman operate from the start at outside centre for the first time in club colours since January, giving him the chance to showcase his versatility ahead of the upcoming Nations Championship where he will look to add to his 30 England caps.
Reflecting on his time wearing 13, he added: “[It was] good, enjoyable, not too different. Just a few more decisions in the midfield on short lines and things out the back – you’re asking yourself a few more questions. I’m still enjoying it and I’m happy to slot in whenever needed.”