Saints Q&A: Tom Vickers talks to defence coach Jim Henry

After conceding 14 points during the first half an hour, they refused to concede again, shutting the door for the final 50 minutes of the match, while scoring 28 points of their own.

It was a hugely impressive effort, made all the more impressive by the fact Gloucester had come into round five sitting top of the Gallagher PREM.

And this week, we sat down with defence coach Jim Henry to look back on the 28-14 success, while also discussing several other topics, including Callum Chick, Edoardo Todaro and hosting Leicester Tigers in the PREM Rugby Cup on Friday night.

The full question and answer session is here…

Q: How happy were you with the performance against Gloucester?

A: "I’m really pleased we got that performance out there. It wasn’t all plain sailing – we had to grind it out at times – but it was a decent defensive display and we were pleased to get the four tries in there as well, so it was a big result against a team that’s been going well.”

Q: How satisfying was it to not concede a single point during the second half?

A: "The boys have been working hard on that aspect of the game and we’ve probably had those half-hours or halves across the first block at times, but we’ve not strung it together for 80 minutes. We conceded two in the first half-hour and then the last 10-15 minutes it was looking exactly how we wanted it to."

Q: What did you think was the most impressive thing about the way Gloucester were shut down?

A: "The pack was impressive and the lads up front did a really good job of putting pressure on their set-piece – their lineout in particular – and we held them out on a couple of mauls. That’s an area of the game they pride themselves on, so that was really pleasing. Obviously, we got one (maul try) ourselves and we scored off the back of another one, so that element of the game was really pleasing. For me, the defensive display when the game was done, in the last set, when we were two scores clear, we could have easily clocked off, but we were determined to stay in-system and not give them a point."

Q: How impressed were you with the work rate of your back row?

A: "Those boys – JK (Josh Kemeny), Chicky and obviously TP (Tom Pearson), who got man of the match – there was a great shift from them. We looked at some of the stuff that gives us an opportunity to go and put pressure on their attack, which is the front five and how they work out of set-piece into the defensive line. Coming out of scrums, we had to work hard in there and there are two choices: you can bust your guts to get out of it or rest on the way out, and you could see the boys all working really hard to get out of the set piece and into the phase defence."

Q: Callum Chick has been in fine form so far this season. What have you made of his performances?

A: "He’s a real battler, a great leader for us, a great lad who brings brilliant energy, does all the basics really well and he’s a tough bloke as well. I’d hate to play against him. He just keeps going, which is great to have in your side. Obviously, he captained Newcastle a lot and he’s been great across the group in the couple of seasons he’s been here. He’s a different voice from a different environment and he’s brought something different here. He’s got a bit of edge about him as well."

Q: How keen are you to use last weekend's defensive performance as a benchmark for the rest of the season?

A: "Like I said, there have been patches in the other games that we’ve been really pleased with, but we just haven’t really strung the 80 minutes together on that side of the ball. It’s come at a good time, in the sense that it was a massive game. A lot of that crew has gone away on international duty now and when they come back, we’ll have a good look at it and make sure to pick out what went well and what we can do better and try to build on it from there."

Q: How much are you enjoying the role of defence coach?

A: "Saturday was really enjoyable! There were a few of the games before that, or times in games, where it’s been not so much, but that’s the challenge. There’s a lot of press around how good the competition is attacking wise and what a challenge it is for defences, but I’ve been really pleased with how it’s gone across the block and it was great to have a decent 80 minutes to finish off that block."

Q: How much are you looking forward to watching the young lads play on Friday night?

A: "They’re desperate to go. A lot of what we get out of the first-team pool – the lads you see in the PREM and in Europe – their performances are driven by the quality of the training week, which is driven by the lads just behind it. Those lads have worked really hard across this block to prepare those boys for the PREM and Europe, and now they’re getting their go on Friday night. There are a lot of lads who are pretty keen to get stuck in."

Q: What are your thoughts on facing Leicester under the Friday night lights?

A: "It’s great for the boys to be able to put the shirt on and play at home on a Friday night. It’s perfect for them and there are a lot of the lads who are really excited for it."

Q: How far away are Edoardo Todaro and Trevor Davison from featuring?

A: "It’s probably a bit early for Edo. He’s just been out there doing a bit of tackling, so he’s dead keen to get stuck back into it. He shouldn’t be too far off, although I don’t know the full ins and outs with that one, and Trev’s doing alright as well."