Vesty: Saints focused on performance, not emotion, for Derby Day

We sat down with Northampton Saints’ Head Coach, Sam Vesty, ahead of this weekend’s East Midlands Derby clash at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

Q: Has your role been different since the start of preseason now you’ve taken up the position of Head Coach?
SV: My role is similar-ish to be honest, in that I’ve always looked after the coaching department (with Chris Boyd’s help) in the past. Boydy always gave us a lot of leeway to run our own programme, so that’s not too different, but there are definitely certain changes. Dows has really come to the fore from a leadership role and running everything around that, so it’s been slightly different, but nothing we weren’t really expecting.

Q: Has there been much tinkering with the game plan with Phil Dowson now having his feet under the desk as Director of Rugby?
SV: It’s a similar approach. We’re going to try and have a bit more of a physical edge to our game, but if you see Saints play, you’ll recognise the game plan and it won’t look massively different to what you saw before. Our game really has grown well over the last four years and we’re looking to just improve that. We’ve been practicing it for four years and it has become really natural and quick, so the players are much better at it. That’s a real strength of ours, that consistency of what our message is and what we’re trying to achieve. Our game plan gives us opportunities to win big games, and that’s the key.

Q: Chris Boyd was back at the Club last week, did he have much to say to the lads?
SV: Boydy has been sat at the back of a few meetings and feedbacking, as well as having some quiet chats with the staff. It’s always good to have him around.

Q: Alex Mitchell took plenty of plaudits for his performance against London Irish last week, how did you feel about his display?
SV: Mitch is a really good player, and he’s been performing at a very high level for a long time for us. He must be very close to getting some international recognition. We think he’s fantastic for us in so many different ways – we all see the fancy little bits that he does, and he does a fair few of those, but his basics are world-class as well. I think that’s the reason why he should get more chances at a higher level.

Q: How is everyone feeling ahead of the first East Midlands Derby of the season against Leicester Tigers?
SV: We’ve talked about the Derby a bit, but we’re firmly focusing on our performance, which is the most important thing we can control. It’s a big game and I know that the supporters absolutely love it. The best thing we can do is focus on our performance and that’s where our thoughts are.

Q: How do you look back on the meetings against the Tigers last season, particularly the Premiership semi-final at Welford Road?
SV: We lost, which is the most important thing that comes out of it. We did some really good things but didn’t quite take advantage of some things that we could have. On a different day it could have been slightly different, but I think our game plan and our game style works when we do it very well against what they’re trying to do. It’s about how well we can do ours and how aggressively we can stop theirs as well. There are so many little bits that will make it tick, but we’ve been working on the same little bits, in terms of the attacking part of it, for a good few years. We’re comfortable in what that looks like. Taking opportunities is key, obviously, and then on the defensive side of the ball, we’ve got to stop them because they’re a momentum-based side. You stop their momentum and you’ll get the ball back, and that’s a big part of the game.

Q: How much of a boost is it to have international players like Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam and Tommy Freeman back for the game?
SV: Getting those really good players back is obviously a really good thing! They’re a great addition to our squad and they’ve not played rugby for a well-documented ten weeks. They’re just hungry, all of those guys are rugby players and you play rugby because you love it. They all want to play rugby, so they’ve been nothing but a positive impact on the team so far.

Q: In a further boost, Dan Biggar is available again after having to pull out with illness last Saturday…
SV: He’s a great player and we’re looking forward to getting him back playing some rugby because it’s been a little while for him as well, so he’s enthused. He’s obviously a great addition to put back into our team.

Q: Could you have done with him during that frustrating period against London Irish, when they were down to 12 men?
SV: That was a very frustrating passage of rugby – we put the ball on the floor in that ten minutes more times than we usually do in a whole game. It’s not that we’re not good catchers or passers of a ball, it is purely where our heads went to, the mindset, which was very frustrating. Biggs can be outspoken in what he wants to do, but he’s also a calming influence on us as a group. Hopefully, if that happens again, we’ll stick to our guns and be in a better place.

Q: Have you had to say much to the new players, such as Lukhan Salakaia-Loto or Angus Scott-Young, to give them a sense of what this fixture is about?
SV: We don’t have to sell it to them. It’s quite a well-documented thing. We talked about it, and Luds talked very passionately about it in one meeting – but it doesn’t help us win a line-out, it doesn’t help us kick chase. It doesn’t help in those parts of it, so that’s where our focus has had to lie. The guys that are coming in, yes, we’ve had a little bit of a chat, but our focus is going back to our performance because if we perform well, we will win.

Q: Having won your first home game of the season, how big a statement would it be to beat Leicester and keep the winning run at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens going?
SV: This place has got to be a tough place to come and play, and I think a win against last year’s champions at home would be a massive statement to make to the rest of the Gallagher Premiership.