Saints 'over the moon' as long-awaited league away win helps maintain momentum
Tom James says Saints were 'over the moon' after finally ending their long wait for a league away win last Friday night.
And he feels the 35-34 victory at Newcastle Falcons was essential as it helps the black, green and gold maintain the momentum they built up in the Investec Champions Cup.
Saints had to hold on at the end against a spirited Falcons side, but they eventually got the job done thanks to a breakdown penalty won by Tarek Haffar with the clock in the red.
Scrum-half James was named man of the match at Kingston Park following an all-action performance.
And he was delighted to help his team claim their first Gallagher Premiership away win since the victory at Exeter Chiefs in January 2024.
"It's huge," James said.
"We spoke about it and our Premiership form as a whole is something we haven't been very happy with.
"It was a chance to turn that away form around and keep some momentum.
"We're gunning for the European competition and although our Premiership form hasn't been where it was, wins mean momentum.
"We're over the moon with it."
Saints had gone behind early on at Newcastle but fought back as three quickfire tries before the break helped to propel them into a 28-10 half-time lead.
They were 35-15 up during the second half before the Falcons set up a nervy finish.
"It was really tough and we knew it would be that way," James said.
"It's always a pretty gritty encounter when you come up here, and they stuck around really well, but we're really proud of the win.
"We pride ourselves on playing with tempo and we know if the ball is fast and our breakdown is good, we're going to cause teams problems.
"A few mistakes crept in early and they managed to get into the game because of that, but we showed that when we're playing with that tempo not many teams can live with us."
Saints were beset by injuries at Newcastle, losing Charlie Savala and Tom Pearson during the first half.
"You always have to adjust with guys coming on early and guys out of position but we showed a lot of resilience," James said.
"We're really proud of it. It's a good win."