'Winning Guinness A League title will inspire Saints'
Academy manager Rob Hunter believes winning the Guinness A League title on Monday night will inspire Saints for their European Challenge Cup semi-final
With more than 3,000 noisy fans at Franklin's Gardens to cheer them on the Wanderers dominated Wasps to win 37-0 and 63-10 on aggregate.
The first team squad were all in the stands to watch the Wanderers in action, and Hunter believes that is indicative of a powerful team spirit that can help Saints win against Saracens on Friday night.
The experienced players like Sean Lamont, Alan Dickens and Barry Stewart were just as committed as Academy youngsters Liam Neale and Nick Greenhalgh as the Wanderers ran in five tries.
Hunter said: "The lads who have been playing in the Wanderers system for a couple of years are now the leaders in our group.
"We have got a very strong group of players, sprinkled with some pretty outstanding talent from the first team.
"It is quite a powerful mix, winning the A League means a lot to the boys. The fact is they want to play for each other and if you have got that you can go a long way."
It was the Wanderers' third final in five years, but the first time they had lifted the A League trophy, after coming runners-up to Wasps last year. The first leg 26-10 win at Henley's Dry Leas ground was the key to success, especially as the Wanderers were down to 13 men at one point, with two players in the sin-bin.
And Hunter feels the performance of the Wanderers will push the first-team to work even harder ahead of the Challenge Cup clash.
"You have got to have competition for places," said Hunter. "When you have got guys pushing hard it is massive. Chatting to Bruce Reihana after last Monday's game at Wasps and the way they trained the next day and the way the first team was upbeat and just how up they were about the Wanderers' win is fantastic.
"Watching the lads down to 13 men and putting their bodies on the line, it spurs people on and the reaction we got from the first team from that was brilliant."
In what is Saints' most important week of the season, winning the Guinness A League title was the perfect way to start it. Hunter said: "It was a fantastic night. It has been brilliant seeing so many fans turn up and they are so involved in it. They know the players and it was fantastic to see them all here.
"As far as the club is concerned it is great, because we want to breed winners and that means winning whatever competition you are in. This will certainly give us a good kick on for the European Challenge Cup semi-final. Winning is a bit of habit, it puts the pressure on in terms of competition for places and you see all the guys from the first team down here watching, it is a massive squad effort.
"That feel about the team at the moment, the way the guys feel about each other and look after each other, the way they play for each other is incredibly powerful. We haven't had that for quite a number of years.
"Seeing that now and how the first team guys have turned out to watch is fantastic. They are a good bunch who work hard for each other.
"There has been a steady drip, drip of young players coming through from the region, which brings that love for the club and that natural in-bred desire to play for the Saints.
"Allied with that the recruitment we have had over the last couple of years has brought in great players, but also good people.
"Nacho Lobbe and these guys bring a lot in terms of just being good people.
"It is a pretty potent mix, you have to bring in the best players from around the world sprinkled across the best players from your region".
Teams: Wanderers – Ashton; Lamont (Harries 63mins), Greenhalgh, Mayor (Durling 56mins), Starling; Mordt, Dickens (Brake 48mins); Dreyer, Gray, Stewart (Vickers 52mins), Rae (capt), Day, Lewitt (Cannon 63mins), Neale (Waller 74mins), Hopley (Ingle 48mins).
London Wasps – Lawler; Hopkins, East (Lindsay 40mins), Odejobi, Bishay; Robinson, Honeyben; Beech (Holford 74mins), Ward, Baker (French 40mins), Veale, Palmer (Elder 63mins), Leo, A Ellis (Lipp 74mins), H Ellis (capt).
Scorers: Wanderers – Tries: Neale, Greenhalgh (2), Ashton, Waller; Cons: Mordt (3); Pens: Mordt (2).
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