Northampton Saints 36 Gloucester 32: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

That was the case again for Saints on Saturday as they put the icing on a home Gallagher PREM regular season campaign that has seen them navigate myriad challenges yet find ways to preserve their unbeaten record.

Only Exeter Chiefs have been able to leave the Gardens without losing in the league this season.

And while Saints have not been at their best from minute one to 80 in every match, as no team ever will be, they have continued to come up with solutions when it’s mattered most.

Pretty or ugly, or pretty ugly, this black, green and gold team has ultimately prevailed in eight of their nine home league games.

And it was only a stirring Exeter comeback on the opening day of the season that stopped them from boasting a 100 per cent record.

Against Gloucester, just as against Bath in late April, against Newcastle in March and against Leicester in October, they could easily have come undone at home.

But when the going got tough, the tough got going again.

Saints went 12-0 down early on as they really struggled to click into gear, losing key lineouts and any sort of head of steam they tried to build.

But back they came, going in front in quickfire fashion before Gloucester responded and threatened to go in at half-time ahead as they mounted one final surge before the break.

Saints stood tall on their own line, preserving the parity.

And though they would go behind again on a further three occasions during the second half, they refused to be denied.

George Furbank popped up with a memorable try to ensure he would be smiling at the post-match leavers ceremony as Saints left it late.

And even then, they still had to resist one final attack from a Gloucester side who could take huge credit for this battling performance, which was laced with moments of quality, particularly from their skillful half-backs.

But Saints aren’t top of the table for no reason.

They haven’t won 14 of their 17 league matches by chance.

No, they have shown that when challenging situations present themselves, they have the composure and quality in those moments that matter most.

It has presented them with the home play-off semi-final they craved.

You can be sure that they will be pushed to the limit in the knockout encounter by whoever comes to Northampton.

With that in mind, they will know they will still need to improve greatly in several areas, notably in terms of their discipline.

And they will certainly need every ounce of the grit and self-belief they displayed in the heat of the Gardens sun on Saturday afternoon.

But what this season has showed us is that, more often than not, they have the tools to cope when the tension peaks.

And this game was an excellent example of exactly that.

How they rated…

GEORGE FURBANK – CHRON STAR MAN – how fitting it was that he should score the winner on his final regular-season appearance at the Gardens as a Saints player. Oozed class yet again… 8.5

TOMMY FREEMAN – another class act. Popped up so often in this match and he was always such a threat to Gloucester, grabbing a deserved try during the second half… 8.5

TOM LITCHFIELD – another display full of physicality in attack and defence and he came close to scoring as Gloucester did well to hold him up… 7

RORY HUTCHINSON – a special day and a special moment as he showed good awareness and speed to score on his 200th Saints appearance… 8

GEORGE HENDY – turned on the turbos to score during the first half and he displayed good physicality when needed… 7.5

FIN SMITH – produced a clever assist for Hutchinson’s try and he was strong in defence as well when he needed to be… 7.5

ARCHIE MCPARLAND – got sharper as the game went on and he opened the door for Sam Graham’s try with some nice timing of the pass… 7.5

MANNY IYOGUN – paid the price for Saints’ persistent first-half offending as his pull back on Afo Fasogbon was punished with a yellow card. But he did some good stuff, too… 6.5

ROBBIE SMITH – full of hunger as he powered into collisions and cleared out with real force at the breakdown. Will have been disappointed with the lineout during the first half but that wasn’t all his fault as Gloucester deserved credit for their reading of it… 7

LUKE GREEN – did what he needed to do in what was a largely solid showing, and came back on late on to help his side over the line… 7

ALEX COLES – such an important presence in this Saints team, he seemed to be everywhere again, playing a huge part in a second-half try… 8.5

ED PROWSE – showed great awareness to steal the ball at the breakdown and set up Hendy for a first-half try… 7.5

TOM PEARSON – another all-action showing from the flanker as he thundered around the pitch and put real pressure on Gloucester. Saw an excellent try ruled out… 8

HENRY POLLOCK – got on the wrong side of the referee on a few occasions but also came up with some typically important moments, with his running a real threat… 7.5

CALLUM CHICK – carried with real force when he got the chance and was a steady presence in the back row, as ever… 7

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

CRAIG WRIGHT (for R Smith 52) – looked so eager to impress as he flew around the field like the Tasmanian Devil… 7

DANILO FISCHETTI (for Iyogun 52) – produced one excellent offload to keep the team flowing forward and he helped his team to get the job done… 7

SAM GRAHAM (for Chick 56) – a nice moment for the No.8, who will leave Saints this summer, as he scored a crucial second-half try. Made a real impact after coming on… 7.5