Former skipper Hartley feels it's a great time to be a Saints fan

The former England and Northampton skipper has watched on in admiration as his ex-team-mate Phil Dowson has led the club to Gallagher Premiership glory and an Investec Champions Cup final during the past two seasons.

And Hartley, who retired back in November 2019, said: "A lot of people look at silverware or a trophy as the ultimate.

"But I think if you're a Northampton fan you’ve got to look at the rugby that they're delivering on a regular basis which is fairly consistent.

"They play a great game and they win more than they lose.

"I think it's a great time to be a Saints fan.

"We all know like sport teams, it's cyclical. You have your highs and your lows, and you’ve just got to enjoy where they're at now.

"That (Champions Cup) final could have gone either way. I still think everyone's proud of them.

"It's not like they didn't play in the game. They turned up.

"They weren't kind of caught in the headlights. They actually threw the kitchen sink at it."

Saints were beaten 28-20 in the Champions Cup final by Union Bordeaux Bègles at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium last month.

And Hartley, who helped to lead Saints to the Heineken Cup showpiece in the same stadium back in 2011, when they lost 33-22 to Irish giants Leinster having led 22-6 at half-time, said: "Obviously, commiserations because you might only get that one chance in your career.

"They did so much so well. They scored tries, they defended when they needed to with resilience.

"But against a team of Bordeaux’s quality, you can't have a poor kick, or you just can't give the ball back freely and expect them to do nothing with it.

"I think that you just had two teams with the same sort of attacking intent.

"Both teams are just so dangerous and unpredictable in that respect. Northampton played a great game."

Dylan Hartley was speaking in an interview with OLBG: https://www.olbg.com/bookmakers/articles/best-bookmakers-for-rugby-betting