Gaffney salutes 'gutsy' Saints after last-gasp Gloucester success

A last-gasp penalty try provided a long overdue success for the green, black and gold, who ended a run of seven successive Aviva Premiership defeats.

Gloucester were the victims, going down 22-19 at a relieved Gardens.

And Gaffney, who started his role as Saints' coaching consultant on Monday, was delighted with the efforts of his team.

"It was a really gutsy performance," Gaffney said.

"At 19-8 down it is really easy to drop your bundle and let it slide.

"It may have happened previously but they have dug in very deep and when you have been on a losing streak for some time it would have been easy to give in.

“The players just dug deep and clawed the win out."

Tries from Ken Pisi and Nic Groom, allied with five points from the boot of Harry Mallinder, gave Saints hope going into the closing stages.

And they then forced their way towards the line with a huge drive, forcing referee Ian Tempest to award a penalty try.

Saints kept their cool from the kick-off and Mallinder booted the ball out to bring a big roar from the home crowd.

"When I came over I had watched the last month’s games and there has always been something there, it is just the fact we have not executed," Gaffney said.

"There is no doubt we have to work harder in various aspects of the game – getting back into the game, not lying on the ground too long and punching back hard. We saw the benefits of that today.

"It is something to work on for the rest of the year."