Saints Q&A: Tom Vickers talks to Saints and England star Ollie Sleightholme
Earlier this month, Saints were handed a huge double boost as two of their England stars took to the field for the first time since last season’s Investec Champions Cup final.
Ollie Sleightholme and George Furbank have now managed to get a couple of cup matches under their belt before the big league battle at Bristol Bears on Saturday evening (kick-off 5.45pm).
And on Tuesday afternoon, we sat down with Sleightholme to discuss a variety of topics, including, of course, just how happy he’s been to get back on the field after a lay-off with a hamstring injury.
Q: Ollie, good to see you back. How have the last couple of weeks been?
A: “It's been good. It's been nice to get back playing instead of watching. It's been a weird 12 months of getting injured, getting back, getting injured, getting back and then getting injured so it's nice to be back on the pitch and doing what I love.”
Q: Last season you came back in from injury for a huge occasion at the end of the season. How was it handling the Champions Cup final?
A: "We had a plan for me to try to get back for it, and I managed to get back. It probably wasn't the situation we wanted with me coming on in the first couple of minutes of the game but it was still an unreal experience and it was really cool to be able to get back for it."
Q: How did you feel during that match because, as you say, you weren't supposed to be on the pitch for that long?
A: "You always plan to come on in the first minute just in case it actually happens, but it's not expected as such. It was weird – and tired is probably an understatement! I was hanging and couldn't feel my legs for most of the second half. I hadn't played any rugby since February, but it was still a wicked experience and to get so close against them was cool."
Q: And what a team and set of players to come back and play against…
A: "Definitely. They're one of the giants of Europe."
Q: Do you feel you're getting better at handling enforced time on the sidelines now?
A: "Yeah, having my partner and my little one helps a lot because when you get home it forces you to switch off rather than trying to find a way to help you switch off. It definitely helps and it's difficult, but that makes it easier."
Q: What's the mindset been coming back this season, with the team having started so well?
A: "It's wicked to be watching us doing so well but in the same breath you'd love to be out there doing it with them. It just shows the squad we are, that no matter who is on that pitch, we put performances out and we get wins."
Q: What was it like having George Furbank alongside you recovering at the same time?
A: "We've done it twice now. We came back for the final together last season and we came back a couple of weeks ago together so we've sort of been spending a lot of time together. It's made it easier having someone in the same boat."
Q: When you're out for a while, does it give you a chance to think about and work on things before you get back?
A: "Definitely. The game has changed a little bit since I was last playing regular rugby. The high-ball element of the game has changed quite a bit since last February so I'm definitely taking on board all the notes from that and trying to work out how I'm going to attack it when I got back."
Q: How much of a challenge will Bristol pose this weekend?
A: "They like to move the ball and they've got some dangerous players, but if we get our plan on the pitch, it gives us our best shot."
Q: It's been a difficult place for Saints to play in recent years. Have you reviewed much of those previous meetings this week or have you tried to put it in the past?
A: "They're very different games and you can't look at that too much because we're a different team to what we have been in the past two or three years and they're a different team to what they have been during that time. It's obviously a factor that will be spoken about externally, but internally we're just focusing on ourselves and what we can do."
Q: How big is this campaign for Saints after finishing eighth in the league last season?
A: "Last season we did have a fair few injuries and we just lacked a bit of consistency. We've shown this year what we can do when we get that consistency."
Q: You had a taste of title glory a couple of years ago so that must be still living in the memory a bit?
A: "Definitely. It's one of those things that once you've done it, you just want to keep doing it. It's probably a driver here for the lads who have won it because they know the feeling of having won it and what it takes to do it."