'Saints do it so well' - talented teen Pater reflects on another impressive showing

Pater is just 18 years old but he outgunned Australia international James O'Connor, who wore the 10 shirt for Leicester Tigers in the PREM Rugby Cup clash at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.

The Saints youngster capped a stellar showing at fly-half with a fine try as he played a one two with James Ramm and dived over the line in delight during the second half.

The black, green and gold ran out 40-22 winners to breathe new life into their cup bid.

And it was yet another demonstration of just how quickly Saints Academy products are able to settle in to life in the club's first team.

"Saints do it so well," said Pater, who was making his sixth senior appearance for Saints.

"(Sam) Vesty and Sharpy (Jake Sharp) always speak about it and they say you're not a million miles off it.

"Coming through at 18, I've been on the bench a few times, I've played two PREM games and the opportunity is there.

"You could see it and it's the same with Edoardo (Todaro), who is in my year. You can see we're not a million miles off it.

"It just gives you confidence when you're turning up to training that we're not just sitting back. We're part of the squad and trying to get to that first-team level.

"We're learning from the likes of Furbs (George Furbank) and (George) Hendy and it makes our jobs a little bit easier, just knowing we've got that confidence from the coaches to go out there."

Head coach Vesty instills real belief in the Saints backs.

And Pater explained what makes him such a good mentor.

"Going back to my first game, I played PREM at Gloucester last year and it was literally all about just go out there and play rugby," Pater said.

"I was told to back myself and that it was about me as an individual, he (Vesty) didn't overcomplicate it, kept it simple and it made it easier for me because it was clear, concise and I knew what I needed to do."

England Under-20s ace Pater has come through the ranks as a full-back, but he showed just how capable he is of playing at fly-half on Saturday.

"I'm a bit of a full-back at trade but I got a good shot at 10 here," he said.

"There's a lot more time and space at full-back so I'd say I still enjoy it but being able to play both is just an add-on.

"I won't limit myself to one just yet."

Pater teamed up brilliantly with scrum-half Archie McParland, who notched two first-half tries.

"He (McParland) makes my job so much easier," Pater said.

"He gets the ball up quickly and we spoke about against Tigers getting the ball up quick and catching them off guard.

"Archie did an amazing job in keeping the ball alive and he's a run threat as well."