'Big ambitions' at Saints as they gear up for Bath battle

The black, green and gold moved up to fourth in the Gallagher Premiership table after securing a first win at Exeter Chiefs for more than seven years on Saturday afternoon.

Chris Boyd's side showed immense character to record a 13-12 success in torrid conditions.

They now head home to the Gardens, where they have not played since beating Worcester Warriors on Boxing Day, and are in high spirits.

"We're top four, not top of the table yet, but we've got big ambitions and it's a case of trying to back it up week after week," said Francis, who kicked eight points in the win at Exeter.

"If everyone plays their part, hopefully we can get the game on against Bath.

"They're a good team and it will be a big test but it will be great to be back at home on some better blades of grass down at the Gardens.

"We're looking forward to it."

Francis was hugely impressive against Exeter, especially from the tee, landing three of four tough kicks, which proved so crucial.

"I'm very elated after a really positive performance away to Exeter - it's one we targeted and it's nice to get over the line," Francis said.

"We're pretty pleased with the effort we put in, in tough conditions.

"They're a big physical side and we showed defensively that we have a lot of heart and character, and you need that in abundance at Exeter.

"That heart is underpinning our game at the moment and we're really pleased with our fundamentals.

"We stuck to some processes we worked really hard on during the week and it's great to see it coming to fruition at the weekend."