The men in Black, Green and Gold are determined to ‘bounce back’ from their defeat to Leicester Tigers at the weekend as Bristol Bears visit cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens this Friday night (15 May, kick-off: 7:45pm).
Saints suffered only their second loss of the regular PREM season, going down 41-17 on Saturday in the East Midlands derby; after which, the Saints centre explained that the squad are determined to regain momentum ahead of Friday night – tickets are still available by clicking HERE.
“I’ve got to give credit to the Tigers because I think they were very good,” Dingwall explained. “We probably absorbed a lot of their pressure, and ultimately, they dictated the game.
“That’s what makes it hard: it didn’t really feel like we got much out of that game or were able to impose ourselves at all. Obviously, a lot of that is on us, but I have to start by giving them credit.
“We started really well,” Dingwall continued. “It was physical from the off, and we were in a really good spot, but a game can swing very quickly. They stacked pressure on, there was a lack of discipline, and ultimately, it means people leaving the field, and that’s multiple scores.
“I don’t think we were 20-odd points worse than them; it was compounded errors giving them a few breakaways towards the back end of it as well. We never deserved to win the game. We never really got going enough.”
Saints still remain top of the Gallagher PREM table heading into Round 16, however, the visitors remain the only side other than Tigers to have beaten Saints in the regular season, in November’s 46-12 defeat at Ashton Gate.
“It’s just the small margins we’re competing with,” the centre added following last weekend’s defeat. “We’re missing the tiny, tiny details. There are no huge solutions; it's just the minor details we’ve got to keep going after.
“Every game at the moment is a big game because it’s the back end of the season. Friday night is a massive challenge; it’s another team in and around that top four.
“Bristol are playing some good stuff, and they’re the only other team to beat us in the league, along with Leicester. They’re coming to our place, and we know we need to bounce back.”