The 20-year-old starred on his return to the first team, with two tries that kick-started Saints’ fifth home bonus point win of the season. And he acknowledged the positive benefits that the scores brought to his own game as the action wore on.
“Coming back from injury I’d been struggling with a bit of confidence,” he admitted to SaintsTV. “But getting back out there and getting a couple of tries was definitely good.”
Collins got the Saints on the score board in the first half. But it was his second that will live long in the memory, a searing break from halfway that not just bisected the Newcastle midfield but also left replacement full back Simon Hammersley flailing with a final swerve that took the former England Under-20 man over the whitewash.
That second try earned Saints the bonus point, but it was the final few minutes that Collins says the team can build on in next Friday’s LV= Cup Round 2 trip to the Scarlets.
“The finish showed the temperament of the side,” he added. “They scored with eight minutes to play but we managed to hold it out, get a penalty and slot it and then scored a try.
“It was good to get back out there and good to get the youth together. We haven’t played together a lot, and I’m hoping that over the next few weeks we’ll build on what we’ve done today.”
You can re-live the game in full at www.saintslive.co.uk
Next up at Franklin’s Gardens are Exeter Chiefs on Friday, November 14th. Tickets are available right now at www.tinyurl.com/SAI-EXE-1415 and use Print@Home to beat the match day queues and save the admin fees.
