The Saints backs have spent plenty of time crediting the pack so far in 2015/16, but after eight tries in two weeks, Mike Haywood has been impressed by improvements made in attack.
While two of the Saints’ five scores against London Irish came from pushover mauls, much of the groundwork was laid by a 15-man combination exploiting gaps and earning territory, something that has come as a welcome boost.
“It’s nice to see the backs playing with ball in hand and going forward,” the hooker told SaintsTV. “They’re playing with really good shape, moving the ball into the wide channels and using the space really well.
“Obviously it then allowed us to use driving lineout, which is going really well and it’s something we always work hard on in the week.”
That said, Sunday afternoon sees the Saints travel to Kingston Park to take on a Falcons side in a decent run of form themselves having beaten Bath, Quins and Tigers in consecutive home fixtures.
“It’s going to be a tough one at Newcastle though,” Haywood warned. “Leicester went up there and were well beaten, coming away with nothing. They will be confident, but we’ve got to focus on ourselves, keep our own momentum going and target the win there on Sunday afternoon.”
Sunday's Aviva Premiership tie kicks off at 3pm and you can follow live updates at www.saintslive.co.uk, online and on mobile devices.
