With a spot in an Investec Champions Cup semi-final for a third year in a row on the line on Friday evening, Northampton Saints centre Fraser Dingwall believes that there is still more to come from the men in Black Green and Gold as they take on Bath in their quarter-final showdown.
Despite ultimately earning a 49-41 victory at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens over French visitors Castres Olympique in the Round of 16, by their own admission, Saints’ performance wasn’t of the standards the squad expect from themselves, and Dingwall feels levels will be raised at The Recreation Ground as the last two Gallagher PREM Champions go head-to-head in an all-English last eight contest.
“The thing about this tournament is that there is no shortcut to the final,” Dingwall explained. “You have to beat the best to be called the best.
“What I do know is that when you face difficult opposition, that’s when you get the greatest reward, so we’re very excited for Friday night.
“We’re building towards the heights that we know we can reach, and hopefully that comes Friday night.”
Friday night presents an opportunity for Saints to continue their run in Europe, a competition the men in Black, Green and Gold have enjoyed in recent years, and Dingwall is excited for the occasion to showcase Saints at their best.
“We’ve been incredibly lucky over the past couple of years to have some great experiences,” he continued. “We know how much we have to work for that, but we also want to enjoy the occasions, and we’re desperate to make some more.
“One of the real strengths of this squad is that there is a massive buy-in and collective in the group, so when guys drop in, they can be themselves and enjoy it.”
Saints have already won away at Bath earlier this season for the first time since 2022, rounding off 2025 with a 21-41 victory, and Dingwall believes that Saints can repeat that this week.
“When you play in big games as boring as it sounds, it often comes around to the simple stuff like executing your game plan and who can dictate the game,” he added.
“When it comes to Bath, the main focus is the physical game. They’ve got a huge amount of power in their squad, so that becomes a baseline of the game about how we physically go after them.”