Saints scrum-half Mitchell is now hungry for more after his special summer

In fact, it was all something of a dream for the Saints and England scrum-half.

After scoring the winning try to help Saints end a 10-year wait for a Gallagher Premiership title, Mitchell headed off to Japan and New Zealand with his country.

And though they only collected one win - beating Japan in the opener before suffering two narrow defeats in New Zealand - they were valuable experiences to savour for the No.9.

He then headed off for holidays in Bali and Tenerife before spending some welcome relaxation time with family.

It helped Mitchell come down from the high of that winning moment at Twickenham and refocus ahead of the new season, which starts with a trip to Bath on September 20.

"I kind of forgot about it (the Premiership final)," Mitchell said.

"Obviously on the Monday and Tuesday we were flying out to Japan so I had to change my mindset to the England camp.

"I've come down from the final and it's been about 10 weeks now.

"I went to Bali for two weeks after the England tour then came home and did Tenerife for a couple of days with some school mates, which was quite chilled.

"I then went to see family in Manchester and Kent so it was nice to get away.

"It was three weeks with the lads and two weeks with the family so it was a nice little mix.

"Five weeks was long enough and in the fourth and fifth week I was getting a bit bored.

"I got back to doing a bit of training on my own and you miss the lads and the schedule so it was a good amount of time.

"We've got a little while before the first league game so it's plenty of time."

Mitchell continues to cut a relaxed figure as he looks forward to what lies ahead for Saints in their title defence.

And he insists he doesn't feel any extra pressure now that the black, green and gold are there to be shot at as champions.

"I've not really thought about it that much," he said.

"For me, it's exciting.

"Last year we probably weren't favourites to win it and I'm not sure whether we're favourites again this year but it's a great opportunity to go back to back.

"We know it's another huge challenge across the board because it's one of the most competitive leagues in all of sport.

"But we want to go again and try to win it."

Saints will have to cope without some experienced campaigners this season as the likes of Courtney Lawes, Alex Waller and Lewis Ludlam are no longer part of the squad.

But Mitchell believes there are still more than enough leaders at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.

"We've always got a bit of a game-drivers group so we always go through game plans and what we want to get out of the year, but it's early days," said the 27-year-old.

"We've still got a few weeks until the first proper game and a few leaders will have to step up.

"Courtney (Lawes) and Luds (Lewis Ludlam) are big losses but it's exciting for a few boys to step up."

With 130 appearances under his belt, Mitchell is now one of the more senior figures at Saints.

And he reflected on his journey since coming through the ranks.

"When I was in the Academy I'd be like 'oh, there's Stevie Myler, Fodes (Ben Foden)' and I'd be really polite around them to try to earn their respect," Mitchell said.

"I guess we've kind of stepped into that role now and that's how it changes.

"We've got a really young squad and it's exciting."

Saints have been handed the toughest of tests to start the season as they go to a ground they don't have a good record at.

The black, green and gold, who face a home pre-season match against Bedford Blues on Friday night, will face a fired-up Bath side at The Rec next week.

And Mitchell said: "It's the first game of the season so the first hit out for the new boys, but we know it's a massive game.

"They're going to be one of the best sides in the league again because they haven't lost many players.

"It's going to be a good marker for us.

"It's a tough place to go to see where we're at. We'll get a lot from it and learn from it.

"We obviously want to get a result and go from there but it's a very exciting first game."

However, the tough environment at The Rec will be little compared to what Mitchell faced with England in New Zealand.

The Red Rose narrowly lost Test matches to the All Blacks in Dunedin and Auckland.

And Mitchell said: "They're a quality side, always in the top four in the world and to go against the best is what you want to do.

"What you realise is that at that Test level you have half a second less, the physicality goes up, your game management needs to go up.

"You've got to stay in the moment the whole time and it's about the consistency of your game, whether it's pass, kick, defence.

"It's definitely good to learn that and try to take it back to the Saints, try to push on and keep going from there."