Dan Biggar believes that while the next few months might be tough for Northampton Saints, the playing squad and staff will pull together to help the Club as much as possible.
The 30-year-old fly-half is at home with his family – like the rest of the Saints squad – as the country joins together to try to halt the spread of Coronavirus.
This week the Club announced salary reductions for Northampton’s players and staff to combat the loss of income incurred from the pandemic.
But Biggar insists that everyone at Franklin’s Gardens remains unified, and encouraged supporters to stay safe at home.
“These are incredibly tough times for everyone at the moment – families, livelihoods, businesses, and everything else too,” he said.
“The bottom line is that everyone at Saints is in this together, and this is the least we can do for the Club.
“At the end of the day, there are far more important things going on at the minute than a little bit of wage reduction, and we’ve got to stick together and get on with it.
“Everyone needs to listen to the guidance we’ve been given, and stay safe at home.”
It’s game time 👊🏼
— Northampton Saints 😇 (@SaintsRugby) March 24, 2020
Now, more than ever, we are one team.
Let’s crush this.#StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/z97HtUqV0J
Despite not being able to train as normal at Franklin’s Gardens, Biggar and the rest of his Saints teammates have been given programmes to stay in shape during this hiatus to the season.
The Wales international has been nursing a knee injury this week but is keeping busy with his family and looking forward to returning to some place-kicking practice in the coming days.
He added: “I’m loving spending some time at home with my wife and my little one.
“Life is actually pretty busy for me; I have a two-year-old who keeps me running up and down the house all the time, so he’s keeping me very fit!
“The weather’s been great and it’s been good for us to be outside in the garden doing bits and pieces. I’ve been keeping my little one occupied on the ride-on lawnmower, he can sit on there for three hours at a time and not get bored.
“We’re lucky and have some fields out the back of the house where I can practice my kicking a little bit, and the farmer is allowing us to use some of his space as well, so I can do some training in there too.
“We’re lucky and have some fields out the back of the house where I can practice my kicking. All the players are making sure we keep up with whatever we need to.”
Dan Biggar
“I’m actually taking a week or so to rest my knee at the moment and get back to full fitness, but then for however long we are cooped up for, all the players are making sure we keep up with whatever we need to.”
With no live sport to keep sports fans entertained at home, football fan Biggar admits he has been drawn in watching Premier League re-runs from years gone by on TV.
But which of his matches in the Black, Green and Gold jersey would the No.10 select to watch back if he could?
“I think if I had to pick one game for Saints to watch back, it would have to be the game out in Lyon at the start of the year,” he mused.
“Looking back, we needed a win to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions Cup, and it was a glorious day weather-wise.
“Lyon had a full team out that day looking to beat us, and to come back in the second half in the manner that we did and qualify is what it is all about. So that’s a game I’d really like to watch back and enjoy.
“But I’m a bit of a football nause at the moment too, and I’m really enjoying watching the Premier League years back from the early 2000s.
“That’s what on my TV quite a lot at the moment! I’m a big Manchester United fan so I’ve had some tough years to put up with recently, but they look like they’re back on the up now.”
