ALEX SANDERSON MEDIA SESSION 15/4/2025

MESSAGING FOR THE RUN-IN

“Last year we talked about it being some sort of climb, a “Tour de Force” we labelled it, a force of nature and will. It was so tight you could slipstream people as they played each other. It is a similar challenge [this year] but it is always different. Similar in respect to we cannot really afford to lose a game but different as no one game can be replicated in terms of feeling so it is important that we reframe it in a different guise to get a different performance. Two or three weeks ago for the most part excluding the people who know it looked an impossible task but after two bonus-point wins it is possible, not probable or plausible but possible. It is about making that possible plausible and the next two games do that.

“This is a really important two games against Harlequins and Saracens. You come out of the Six Nations with renewed vigour. You have to find and keep form. You have to break it down into manageable blocks. We can lean on the fact that we have pretty much the same team as last year and it is about attitude. In these kinds of games when everyone is carrying niggles and you have already played them once it becomes more about attitude.”

 A POTENTIAL SPECIAL TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR RAFFI QUIRKE

“We now have that in place for him because this was a minimal high-grade one/ two injury that should have been three or four weeks but it has blown out into a 10-12 week one. Normally you get a scan at the start, get a rehab/ training programme and then get a scan for the end to get the all clear. We have taken a Premier League football viewpoint to it as we are scanning him now every week just to make sure there is no residual damage.

“He is so highly strung, such a good athlete. He was a triathlete as a kid and our fittest player. It is not like his muscles are breaking down because they are not conditioned. I think it is because of his power output. We are keeping a close track on him and we are managing his workload through the week. There is also the mental stress that has an effect on the body. They [England] have been really open in terms of our communication, which will get better in time.”

REUBEN LOGAN’S SIGNING

“He is 120kg and used to play on the wing. He is a unit who can shift. He was in the wider 35-man Under 20 squad. He narrowly missed out on that and some ancestral belonging through his dad he wanted to play for Scotland. This move gives him better locality to play for Scotland but also I think a better opportunity, nothing against Northampton, it was his choice to come here.

“The type of player he is fits into our model. We like big, strong, dynamic ball-carriers. We like people who can get over the gain line and he has all the physical attributes to do that. Top lad, knows what he wants and is self-driven. He has two parents who were former athletes which stands for a lot for me. You know he is going to go back home and get good advice. He has said he wants more game time and knows he has more learning to do which is a good sign of maturity from a young lad.”

INJURY UPDATE

Tom Curry (wrist ligament), Raffi Quirke, Sam Bedlow, Bevan Rodd (back niggle), Joe Carpenter all could/ should be available this weekend against Harlequins

Dan du Preez- a week off being available, pulled a calf six/ seven weeks ago

Tom O’Flaherty- war-zone like flesh wound, got a stud in the fleshy part of top of the knee, did not come out until it raked through four/five inches of flesh, opened up like an orange and required a lot of stitches, will probably just miss this weekend’s game

Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Tom Roebuck had breaks/ rest last week

Probably strongest squad that has been available all season

OTHER NEWS

Looking to spread responsibility and voices to more players than just the likes of Ben Curry and George Ford

Harlequins have ability to step up physically, had a good maul and were good physically against us at the start of the season, they are quick on transition and fast on breaks

The teams that can lean into their strengths and find form will reach the finals

The way Northampton won the Premiership last year and Harlequins a few years before is probably an exception to the rule of what wins over a longer period of time

Medical team have had conversations with England and Lions coaching staff ahead of the summer, Steve Borthwick came in just post-Six Nations, spoke about all the lads and their chances of playing for the Lions and what that means for England, all players who were in initial EPS squad will either go on tour with the Lions or with England

All in our hands in terms of our performances

Gave the players a couple of days off after the Toulouse game, came in on Wednesday [last week] for analysis of Toulouse last week, 10-day preparation worked well last year so leaning into that again this time, got rest/ analysis balance right last year

Started well in last three games, which is important away from home, you do not want to feed a side like Harlequins who will be angry after their loss to Leinster

Our body language could have been better 60/65 minutes into Toulouse game as it looked like we were hanging on when actually we were still very much in the game

We have come a long way since we played Harlequins at the start of the season, shifted our mentality in terms of what we do with the ball, still leaning on and pride ourselves on our defence, Byron McGuigan doing a great job with that, expecting a really entertaining game on the weekend against Harlequins