Saints 'like kids in a candy shop' ahead of game at Gloucester

Chris Boyd says Saints are ‘like kids in a candy shop’ as they get set to end their long wait for a game this afternoon.
Chris BoydChris Boyd
Chris Boyd

The black, green and gold go to Kingsholm to face Gloucester in a Gallagher Premiership battle (kick-off 3pm).

It will be Saints’ first match since Boxing Day, when they bagged a bonus-point 29-10 win against Worcester Warriors.

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That ended a 12-match losing streak and Boyd’s side were eager to face London Irish and Leicester in the two weeks that followed.

But both of those matches were cancelled due to Covid-19 issues, and the Champions Cup clashes with Leinster and Bordeaux were also called off in the two weeks that followed.

It means Saints will go to Gloucester having not played for a full five weeks.

And Boyd said: "The boys have been like kids in a candy shop getting back together again so we’ve had a lot of energy and enthusiasm.

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"We play Gloucester and it’ll be five weeks from when we played Worcester so it’s been a frustration but we understand the times we live in.

"We need to be really patient, resilient and all of those things."

Gloucester are currently bottom of the Premiership, but Boyd says form has gone out of the window due to the recent break from action.

"There’s so many moving parts and things in play," he said.

"Even for the guys at Gloucester who haven’t played for three weeks it’s going to be more like the first game of the season.

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"It tests you as a group and shows how you deal with adversity.

"It’s a battle but the team is well aligned about how we want to do things, we just haven’t had enough opportunity to do it on the field.

"We’ve got to adapt to what we’re dealing with and Gloucester have got two different games.

"They’ve got a very good lineout that is top of the stats and a pretty destructive scrum so their set piece is good.

"They have some exciting players who are very good operators and they’re a dangerous side.

"We haven’t had a lot of success in Gloucester since I’ve been here so they will be a tough nut to crack."