In an incredibly tight race for the Champions Cup quarter finals, Ethan Waller says the Saints must first make sure they get their own business in order against Scarlets on Saturday evening.
Victory in Llanelli would leave Saints needing one of five other results to go their way, but the prop insists they won’t be focusing on favours until the points are in the bag.
“I don’t think we can go in hoping for help from other teams,” he told SaintsTV on Sunday evening. “We know what we need to achieve to be in with a chance of qualifying and what happens elsewhere is completely out of our hands.
“We’ll focus on what we can control. We know we have to win, maybe with a bonus point, if we want to qualify.”
Despite the fact that their hosts are already out of Europe, Waller isn’t expecting an easy ride from a side that pushed them close at the Gardens back in November.
“We can’t afford to ease ourselves into the game as we did today otherwise we’ll be punished. Scarlets are out, but they have plenty of pride to play for and there’s never any love lost between the Welsh and the English.
“We’re going to have to come out firing.”
CHAMPIONS CUP AS IT STANDS
1 Saracens (24pts) (Q)
2 Tigers (23pts) (Q)
3 Racing 92 (22pts) (Q)
4 Ospreys (16pts)
5 Toulon (16pts)
6 Wasps (15pts)
7 Stade Francais (14pts)
8 Clermont (14pts)
9 Saints (14pts)
10 Ulster (13pts)
11 Exeter (11pts)
12 Bordeaux (11pts)
(Q) home quarter final / (q) qualified
