Northampton have ‘puncher’s chance’ of upset against Exeter, says Tom Wood

When Northampton lost at home to Newcastle at the beginning of December, they slumped to ninth in the Premiership, three points off the bottom. Qualification for the European Champions Cup looked unlikely, never mind a place in the play-offs, but a strong run in the second half of the season took them into the top four for the first time since 2015 and a semi-final date with Exeter at Sandy Park on Saturday.

“It has been a while, but we are pleased to have snuck into the play-offs,” said Tom Wood, Northampton’s England flanker. “It was not the most convincing top-four finish and three other teams could have made it, but it was our goal this season. Exeter and Saracens have been the best two teams in the league this season, out in front from the off and well clear of everyone else.

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“Exeter would expect to beat us more often than not, but on any given day we can cause an upset. The league has turned into a cup competition and, as someone said, we have a puncher’s chance. We are not going there to make up the numbers or have a free crack but to really challenge. If we get our game right, we can cause them problems.”

Northampton topped the table four years ago but then declined, steadily at first before gathering momentum. It culminated in the dismissal of the long-serving Jim Mallinder as the director of rugby midway through last season and his replacement in the summer by the New Zealander Chris Boyd, who has turned a club renowned for its risk-free approach into one of the Premiership’s most potent in broken play.

“The first six weeks were a challenge,” said Wood. “We had a few slip-ups and at one point we were near the bottom of the table. It took some time to adapt to Chris’s way of playing and gel as a team with a number of youngsters breaking into the team, along with signings like Dan Biggar. It was a significant reshuffle but we have been playing with confidence in recent months and when we get our attacking game going, we are incredibly dangerous.

“We have had a fresh start and it has given us impetus. An unbelievable crop of youngsters have stepped up this season, but the Premiership is such a tough, competitive tournament that you have to keep evolving and improving. Newcastle were where we are 12 months ago, and now they are going down. Perhaps they felt comfortable after doing so much hard work, but you cannot let up because the wheels can come off so quickly.”

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Northampton finished the regular season at Exeter last week, losing 40-21 after fading in the second half. Their reward was an immediate return after Harlequins lost at Wasps and finished fifth. “It is interesting when you play a team back-to-back,” said Wood, who will be on the bench with Boyd moving Courtney Lawes to the back row and fortifying the lineout. “You learn a few things and there is a bit of bluff and double-bluff.

“We have turned around defeats in Europe. We lost to Leinster and Ulster at home and won the following week. There will be little outside pressure and expectation on us in Exeter, although it will be different internally. We have to get certain things right: we struggled on their out-in in the scrum last week and they won a few penalties. They like to apply pressure and if you concede a penalty on the halfway line they will kick to the corner and use their driving game, which they are very good at. We have to deprive them of that and play with real attacking intent.” Northampton have gone with a new front row but Dylan Hartley will again be absent.

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“It means controlling the ball and forcing our style on them,” said Wood. “Our half-backs [Biggar and Cobus Reinach] have been influential this season. They pull the strings. Dan settled in from day one. He is a natural leader who talks well and rallies the troops. He plays with a huge amount of emotion and competitive edge. You can see that in his body language on the pitch. He is not interested in resting on his reputation and has been at the centre of everything for us.”

At 32, Wood is one of the club’s most experienced players, but he has a year to go on his contract and would like to stay beyond that. “I hope my best days are not behind me,” he said. “I have got a lot of miles on the clock but still feel fit and strong. The future at Northampton looks really good and I would like to be around for a few more years.”