Despite Saints ultimately leaving the Twickenham Stoop with a 38-31 defeat at the weekend, it was a day to remember for scrum-half Jonny Weimann, whose first try of the game was a record-breaking 100th of the season for Saints.
The 20-year-old crossed the whitewash in the fifth minute of Saturday’s contest in South West London, taking the men in Black, Green and Gold up to a century of tries across the campaign.
The hosts crossed in the final play of the game to clinch victory; however Saints’ future had already been decided with first place in the league and a home semi-final already secured.
“We tried to put our game on the pitch,” Weimann explained. “I think we did that in parts, but there’s definitely stuff to work on in the coming weeks.
“Today was my third PREM start, and I tried to go out there and not overthink it too much. The coaches wanted me to be instinctive and back myself, and that’s what I tried to do.
“My parents were here and had a fair few mates as well, so it was nice for them to come and see me.”
The England age-grade international crossed the line again in the second half, this time after moving out to the wing following a re-shuffle in the back-line and his second of the afternoon marked another milestone for the squad, moving Saints to 104 tries overall – more tries than have ever been scored in a single league season, including the play-offs.
“I think that was my first touch on the wing,” he continued. “Radders [Lee Radford] wants us getting high, and that’s what I did, and luckily the ball found its way to me, and I had the wheels to finish it off.
Saints’ attention now turns to Friday night at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens as East Midlands rivals Leicester Tigers visit with a spot in the illustrious Gallagher PREM final on the line.
“There’s a chance for me to be involved, and I’d love to be,” Weimann said.