Ramm ready for key role as Saints seek to maintain their momentum

James Ramm was the star of the show a couple of years ago, starring in his first campaign at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens after joining from NSW Waratahs in the summer of 2022.

He enjoyed another strong season last time round, though he had to make do with the disappointment of missing out on the Gallagher Premiership final, such were the options at boss Phil Dowson's disposal.

Ramm didn't let that get to him though, showing again this term just what he can do for Saints.

He scored a stunning try from the wing in the 35-34 win against Bath last Sunday and is primed for another key role in Paris this weekend as Saints take on Stade Français in a crucial Investec Champions Cup clash.

Saints lost George Hendy to shoulder injury last weekend, while Ollie Sleightholme was absent with a hamstring problem and George Furbank is continuing to recover from a broken arm.

So Ramm's form and fitness is vital to Saints' hopes at home and abroad in the coming weeks.

“The beauty of the squad is the depth of it and anybody can step into those positions and perform, so chances and opportunities for other boys to come in as well is always nice to see,” Ramm said.

“It sort of takes one or two good games and you’re in that position, which is the beauty of rugby.

“I think it’s competitive in the back-three positions and I think that’s driving everyone to get better.

“We’re a very tight group, we’re all trying to get better and push each other, so I think the opportunities to play are special.

“We all need to make sure we make the most of them when we’re playing because we know there’s someone chomping at your heels.

“It’s definitely been good in that sense because competition drives performance, and we all want to be playing.”

So does Ramm prefer playing on the wing or at full-back?

“I don't really know what my preference is at the moment,” he said.

“It sort of swings depending on which position I play more, but I'm happy anywhere in that back three.”

Ramm played the full 80 minutes as Saints edged out Bath last Sunday thanks to Fin Smith's penalty with the final kick of a thrilling Gallagher Premiership encounter.

And the Australian ace said: “I'm happy I wasn't watching - I'd rather be playing those kinds of games.

“I had my whole family here and they all said we're giving them heart attacks so they're thankful for that!

“My family have been over a fair bit and any chance they get, they come and have a watch.

“But it's always nice having them here because it's usually just the girlfriend.

“There was a big group of them and it was really nice.

“It's always good to come out on the right side of those games.

“Especially with where we're sitting in the Prem at the moment, we need to keep winning these games.

“But the meeting when we came back in was more about making sure we keep this form and continue it through Europe so that when we come back to the Prem we start climbing that ladder.”

Reflecting on his own try, which saw Ramm deliver a scything solo run before getting the ball down under pressure from Bath wing Joe Cokanasiga, Ramm said: “A couple of the boys said that if I hadn't scored that they would be having words with me.

“Mitch (Alex Mitchell) was one of the ones who said if I hadn't scored that, I'd owe him a beer.

“It's always nice to get that in a game and we started quite well early on so it's nice to get into your flow early.

“We've always said when we perform there's not many teams that can stay with us so it's about making sure that consistency of performance is there and then the results come.

“We've always know that, it's just that this season has been a bit more inconsistent than we would have liked.”

Saints will now look to maintain their momentum in Paris on Saturday evening as they bid to build on back-to-back bonus-point wins at the start of their Champions Cup campaign.

And Ramm can't wait to experience the trip to the French capital, with Saints set to take the Eurostar on Friday.

“I'm very excited,” Ramm said.

“All of the European away trips have been an incredible experience and it's not just the game, it's the days prior with the travel over with everyone.

“You spend a lot of intense time with the team - that's when you really get to know blokes - and nights out after are always a lot of fun!

“Everyone is quite excited.

“Potentially we'll see a bit of what's around in Paris but there's always a lot of time in the hotel room playing card games and things like that, which is always fun.”