Man of the match Graham admits he will miss life at Saints

The No.8 will be departing for Newcastle Red Bulls this summer, but he still has plenty of work to do in the black, green and gold's pursuit of silverware.

He skippered the side on Saturday afternoon, claiming the man of the match award in a superb 40-22 PREM Rugby Cup victory against Leicester Tigers at a sold-out cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.

And he admits he will miss occasions like that when he departs at the conclusion of the current campaign.

"I am (going to miss it)," Graham said.

"It's an extremely tough club to leave and it's a decision I had to make.

"I went forward and backwards lots of times but it's clear to see the club's in a good spot."

Graham was full pf physicality as he drove a young Saints side forward in Saturday's cup clash.

His performance earned him man of the match honours, though he was left a little shocked by the accolade.

"It was a bit of a surprise to me!" Graham said.

"I thought some of the boys on debut were sensational.

"It was a real team effort, it was a typical derby.

"It's been a good week, we've really enjoyed ourselves and the result was good."

One thing Graham wasn't surprised about was Saints' performance against a Tigers side that contained the experience of men such as Hanro Liebenberg and James O'Connor.

"I'm not surprised," he said. "The way we trained all week, we just spoke about doing us and a lot of these boys who haven't had the chance to play week in, week out, they’ve still trained Monday to Friday every week since pre-season.

"It's a massive credit to what we do here to come out, have that opportunity and step right into our DNA. It's the highest praise we can give.

"We train us every day. As much as we think about the opposition, we know that as long as we put what we do on the field, we'll be in a good spot.

"It showed because it doesn't matter who takes the shirt, when they get that opportunity they're so excited for it and they take it."

Saints were incredibly dominant during the first half and hammered home their advantage early in the second period before the driving rain made the match a lot tougher, allowing Tigers to use their forwards to help them claim a late try bonus point.

"It was a tale of two halves," Graham said.

"The rain got really bad in that second half!

"We spoke all week about the most physical team in a derby coming out on top, and I think that showed.

"What I'm most proud of is that it wasn't just words, it was actions, and it was really pleasing."

Graham was eventually forced off in the second half, but he has allayed any injury fears.

"I don't know why but in the past two weeks, I've had a little bit of cramp," the 28-year-old explained.

"I'm getting old aren't I?

"It was frustrating because the rest of me feels really good. It was just frustrating to come off with cramp but I just got to a point where my legs wouldn't bend any more.

"But other than that, I'm all good."

Someone who kept ploughing on for Saints was hooker Henry Walker, who really took his chance against Tigers, producing an all-action performance that included a couple of kicks ahead.

"He's one of my fellow old boys, isn't he?" Graham said, laughing.

"He's been fantastic and he's led so well this week.

"He's a quiet voice but when he speaks, people listen to him.

"He's been around, he's experienced and he showed his quality.

"To not play for a couple of months and then to come in and play like that for 75 minutes is impressive.

"He had two kicks so he must be taking after Colesy (Alex Coles). They might have even been better executed than Colesy's!

"He's a very talented rugby player and we're very lucky to have someone like him slot in so well after 10 weeks without playing."