Saints co-captain Ludlam: We've let our fans down

Lewis Ludlam admits Saints have let their fans down after suffering two disappointing defeats in as many weeks.
Lewis LudlamLewis Ludlam
Lewis Ludlam

The black, green and gold were beaten 18-10 at Newcastle Falcons on Monday night, all but ending their Gallagher Premiership play-off bid in the process.

Saints are now 11 points adrift of fourth with just three matches to play.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And the recent defeats to Gloucester and Newcastle have ultimately proved so costly.

“It’s disappointing because we want to be a top-four side but performances like that aren’t good enough,” said co-captain Ludlam.

“It’s been a long season but everyone’s in the same boat and we still feel like we’re fighting for something, so it’s no excuse for not playing as well as we can.

“We’ve got to pick ourselves up now because the season’s not over – it might look over to some people, but we’re still fighting and we’ve got to learn our lessons and take those into two weeks’ time against Wasps.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We’re absolutely looking forward to getting back playing in front of some of our own supporters.

“We’ve let them down again on Monday, for the second week in a row, so we’ve got to put in performances the next two matches for them.

“The effort was definitely there against Newcastle, but the accuracy wasn’t, so we’re going to work hard and hopefully give some people something to smile about at Franklin’s Gardens.”

Ludlam produced a big personal performance at Newcastle but Saints were undone by a lack of discipline and accuracy as they lost a 10-3 lead during the second half.

“We’re all feeling very raw after that,” Ludlam said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The effort was there for sure, but we weren’t accurate enough and we weren’t playing in the right areas of the pitch.

“Against a team like Newcastle, playing away from home and with their crowd right behind them, you know they are going to punish you if you do that.

“We’re hurting at the moment. We didn’t put our game on them at all, and we didn’t get the breakdown right – which is fundamental.

"They came very hard at us there and we weren’t quick or brutal enough to clear them out.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"We absorbed a lot of pressure but to be honest, all that defending on our own line is the easy bit because it’s a choice to stand up and put your body on the line.

"The hard bit is being accurate and switched on in the moment, and that’s the part we didn’t really get right and they punished us for.

"Credit to them, they played in the right areas of the pitch and put us under pressure, but we weren’t good enough."