Danaher pleased with win over Saints

Assistant Coach Declan Danaher was happy with the overall performance in Round 1 of the Premiership Rugby Cup as the Exiles ran out 26-36 winners at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

Speaking after the full-time whistle on Saturday, Danaher was in a buoyant mood after clapping the players off the pitch.

“I’m so pleased for the lads. They’ve taken their opportunity to put on the jersey well,” said Danaher.

“In fairness to Northampton, they pushed us hard in the second half, so for us to grind it out was pleasing.”

Away fixtures are always a tough prospect, with the visiting side having to overcome the opposition on the pitch and the loyal home supporters in the stands. Saturday’s trip to Saints was no different, as Danaher went on to explain.

“What’s special for the squad that travelled is that there is always a good atmosphere at Northampton. For them to play in front of that, it comes with its pressures from the home supporters.

“Rory Jennings was getting a bit of heckling when he was kicking, but he was calm under pressure and did his job from the kicking tee.

“To come away with a win is a testament to the work that the boys have done on the training paddock. Matt Williams and Jack Cooke stepped up from a leadership point of view all week, and that showed again today.”

The focus now turns to the mouth-watering tussle with Saracens under the Friday Night Lights at the Brentford Community Stadium, and Danaher is looking forward to it.

“It’s massively exciting. If we recover well from the Northampton test, put in a good week of training, build on top of what we have done, then I think we can go into Friday night with confidence.

“If we can tap into the right mentality and keep improving, Friday will be an exciting fixture against a good team.”

Click here to get your tickets for the Friday Night Lights clash with Saracens. Tickets are just £10 for adults and £5 for kids in all stands!