Litchfield underlines importance of last home game versus Saracens

Usually when Tom Litchfield is mentioned in dispatches, the word ‘centre’ appears alongside his name – but is in another position where the Northampton Saints Academy graduate has recently caught the eye.

Prior to a few weeks ago, all but three of the 23-year-old’s appearances in Black, Green and Gold had come in the midfield, where he has had an increasing influence this season.

However, with injuries meaning Saints were running short of players who can feature in the back three, Litchfield was picked on the left wing for the impressive 48-31 victory over Bristol Bears at the Gardens at the end of last month.

His performance was enough for Director of Rugby Phil Dowson to trust him in again in that position for, until that point, the Club’s biggest game of the season; Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.

That Investec Champions Cup semi-final in Dublin will go down in folklore as Saints defied the bookies and the pundits’ expectations in defeating their hosts 37-34 to set up next week’s final against Union Bordeaux-Begles in Cardiff.

Reflecting on what was an unforgettable occasion, Litchfield said: “It was definitely the biggest game of my career so far.

“It was an amazing occasion and great to put in a performance that no one was really expecting from us. To get the win as well was just one of the best days of my career so far. It would definitely have been a surprise [a couple of years ago], certainly to be on the wing and even to be starting!

Litchfield has had to learn quickly the different skills required on the wing, both in and out of possession.

What helped his transition to out wide was the freedom to come off his wing and look for the ball when possible, meaning he would be able to get his hands on it almost as much as when he plays at centre.

However, there are added defensive pressures in the back three, where a missed tackle can often bring the concession of a try.

Litchfield said: “You’ve got a bit more space to deal with and you’ve also got to look at the backfield and receiving kicks, stuff like that. I quite like receiving a kick and getting the chance to run it back, so that’s quite nice.

“My first game on the wing was against Bristol so you’ve got [Gabriel] Ibitoye and players like that, so it’s been challenging but I’ve been enjoying it.

“You see Freemo [Tommy Freeman] gets touches all over the pitch so we’re definitely freed up to roam the pitch and see where we can get our hands on the ball.

“You get a lot more one-on-ones and you are in a lot of space out there, so it is a bit different to get used to, but I’m getting more and more comfortable there.

“I’ve been doing a lot of defence stuff with Radders [Saints defence coach, Lee Radford] and sometimes we might want our wingers to be a bit higher so I’ve been doing a bit of that work and it's been helping a lot.”

Litchfield was back at inside centre for last Sunday’s loss at Exeter Chiefs, where he was the only starter against Leinster to take to the field from the outset again.

What has been arguably the most intense period of his career so far, in a season where he has passed 50 Saints appearances, continues with this Saturday’s visit of Saracens to cinch Stadium at Franklins’ Gardens.

It’s a chance to build momentum ahead of next week’s Champions Cup final, not just for the players’ confidence but for the general mood of the Gardens faithful in what is the final home game of the season.

Litchfield said: “The final is in the back of our mind but it’s our last home game of the year, last one for the fans at home, and we’re obviously doing a shirt presentation for the guys leaving after.

“It’s going to be really important to put out a performance that we need, not only for our last home game of the year but also to get us ready for the final.

“We’ve really hit our straps, probably too late in the season, but we’re putting in some performances and we should be a top-four team but we just didn’t do it consistently enough this season. Hopefully we can still come away with something this year.”