The hooker scored a try as the Saints consolidated their top position in the Aviva Premiership table with a win over second-placed Bath.
But the visitors had to do it the hard way in a game that was reminiscent of last May’s European Challenge Cup final. Bath took an early lead, Olly Woodburn going over after Kyle Eastmond had put Bath on the front foot, and with Tom Homer landing the conversion and a penalty the hosts had a double-digit advantage going into the second quarter.
Saints kept their composure, however, and by half-time tries from James Wilson and Haywood saw them into a 12-10 lead.
After the break they took an increasing control of the contest, Stephen Myler landing three penalties to Homer’s one, and even though George Pisi saw yellow late there was enough of a buffer for it to matter too much.
What was especially pleasing for Haywood was the way Saints responded, playing some excellent rugby in getting themselves back into the game. His try was a perfect example, Calum Clark snaffling an overthrown Bath lineout, Wilson and Pisi both making ground down the left touchline before the ball was spun wide to the right as Bath failed to scramble in time.
“Conceding early tries isn’t good for us, obviously,” Haywood said to SaintsTV. “But we dug in deep to come back. We stuck at it, kept on playing our game, kept the tempo high, and got the scores.
“It was a tough game against a big side. We tried to keep them running around and took our opportunities, and it’s great to get a win on the road.
“We played really well. Last week we didn’t put in a good performance against Irish and we wanted to do make that right. And coming away to Bath and play the way we did was great, and we can look forward to next week now.”
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