Northampton Saints coach James Craig has lauded praise on his young squad as they look to close out the PREM Rugby Cup group stage with another victory at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens this weekend.
The men in Black, Green and Gold secured their spot in the Cup semi-finals last weekend with a resounding 21-49 victory over Newcastle Red Bulls, with this weekend’s final pool-stage game against Saracens (Saturday 28 February, kick-off: 3.05pm) set to determine Northampton’s ranking in the final four.
Last weekend proved to be Saints’ third bonus point victory in a row in the PREM Cup, and Craig said the key to the success so far in the competition has been the focus the squad have put on themselves.
“I think the thing we’ve done really well over this period is keeping the focus on what we’re doing,” Craig explained. “We've not previewed the opposition a great deal.
“We’ve done well enough to get to a semi-final. We’ll be bringing some lads back in this week with a view to try to get them up and running for the PREM, but we’ll also make sure that we’re rewarding the guys who’ve got us to this point in this competition.
“It probably wouldn’t sit right with any of us if we don’t reward some of the really good performances that those lads have put in over that eight-game run.”
Some of those positive performances that Craig mentioned have come from the younger members of Saints’ squad, in particular the back row where 20-year-old Australian Charlie Ulcoq and Saints’ second youngest player of the professional era, Jack Lewis, have shone.
“A lot of the younger guys that we get from the Academy have such a good background of the fundamentals that we coach from a senior point of view,” Craig continued.
“The attacking and defensive philosophy is pretty well ingrained throughout the Academy, so when we get guys like Jack Lewis coming into the senior environment, there’s not a lot for him to learn; he knows how to play the game.
“Of course, there are some structural bits and bits of detail for him to pick up, but other than that it’s just a game of rugby that’s played in a very similar style throughout his pathway journey.
“Charlie Ulcoq came across 18 months ago, and was mainly training, so effectively he was a first-year Academy player. He got some games for Bedford towards the back end of the year and was playing pretty well.
“He got a bit of an ankle injury earlier in the season, but we were pretty keen to see how he went because obviously if guys like him can perform at a good level in the PREM Cup, whilst there’s obviously a bit of a journey to go on, you’re pretty confident in a year or so’s time they’re going to be able to contribute in the PREM or even Europe.”
Craig’s journey into coaching at Saints also saw him track a path through Saints’ Academy system before stepping up to a first-team role, and he believes that the cohesiveness from top to bottom within the Club’s set-up is what has assisted the side through this period.
“We’ve got a lot of senior guys who have effectively walked the same path that the young guys in the squad have,” Craig added.
“Guys like Tom Lockett have been on the journey through the Academy system, the PREM Rugby Cup, into the PREM and Europe, so having those guys alongside a lot of the younger lads clearly sets an example.
“Those senior guys have been very good at taking a lot of the pressure off the younger lads; they’ll try to help them make sure they’re in the right position from a detail point of view.
“It can be difficult for some of the younger guys, like Jack or Charlie, to potentially come into a full-time environment where there’s just a bit more detail, but the senior players have been brilliant with them just to make them feel at home and not be overburdened.”