'A step in the right direction' - Ribbans reflects on Saints' comeback win against Sale

Ribbans was named man of the match by BT Sport following the stunning 38-34 win at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.

Saints had been 24-7 down at half-time, despite the fact second-placed Sale lost Manu Tuilagi to a red card in the 14th minute of the match.

The Sharks kept sinning and were hit by two yellow cards during the second half.

And eventually Saints managed to get their noses in front for the first time with three minutes to go before gritting their teeth to make sure of a crucial bonus-point Gallagher Premiership win.

"A win's a win, eh?," said Ribbans, who was playing for Saints for the first time since his summer move to Toulon was announced.

"I think we showed a lot of character in the second half.

"They were a few men down that helped near the end but a couple of years ago this team would have fallen away when we were 24-7 down at half-time.

"We showed a huge amount of character and it's a step in the right direction.

"I don’t think we weren't clinical enough in the first half and we gave them easy exits every time, so that's something we've got to fix.

"We just said at half-time that we need to play the game in their half because it was all in our 22.

"They will score maul tries all day and, with a big pack, they had the advantage over us.

"Second half, we played the territory game and came away with some points.

"It's massive for us, we're a young group of boys but we're becoming an experienced group and we're learning how to grind out these games."