Saints boss Boyd gives his take on win at Bedford Blues

The black, green and gold, who used 29 players in total at Goldington Road, ran out 40-21 winners against the Championship outfit.

Saints scored six tries in all, with Rory Hutchinson, Tom Litchfield, Alex Mitchell, Josh Gillespie, Tom Collins and Fraser Dingwall all going over.

And when asked for his assessment of the performance in the first of two pre-season friendlies, Boyd said: "We're a long way from where we need to be but we gave some youngsters a chance to stretch their legs and some of the older fellas got a chance to blow some cobwebs out.

"It's a little bit problematic playing Bedford because we have a strong relationship with them - a lot of our guys come here and play.

"Jake Sharp and James Craig are also coaching out here so they use a similar language and play a similar game, so they knew what was coming.

"That was interesting on three or four occasions.

"Overall, it was a pass mark but it certainly wasn't an excellence."

There were plenty of familiar faces in the Bedford team, with several current and former Saints playing a part for the Blues.

But there was no shortage of competitive spirit, as emphasised by one big Lewis Ludlam hit on Saints team-mate Connor Tupai, who was at No.9 for Bedford, during the first period.

"Tups had plenty to say - he's always got plenty to say, and I thought he played really well for them actually," Boyd said.

"It's a really good relationship that is certainly very important for us around our youngsters getting an opportunity to play, grow and develop.

"The relationship between the two clubs is really good at the moment and we're pleased to come here and help them put on a bit of a spectacle at their park."