Saints taking a break as they bid to 'hit the ground running' at Leicester Tigers
The Saints players and coaches are set to take a well-earned break this week as they bid to 'come back and hit the ground running against Leicester' on May 9.
The black, green and gold edged a thrilling encounter at a sold-out cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens last Saturday, beating second-placed Bath 41-38.
It was their sixth successive weekend of action in the PREM and Investec Champions Cup.
They reached the quarter-finals in Europe before narrowly losing at Bath, while Saints now sit four points clear at the top of the PREM after picking up an eighth league win in a row last weekend.
They have opened up a 10-point gap to third-placed Leicester Tigers, who they will travel to face in their next PREM game.
But first, Saints will get a chance to take some time off as they look to recharge the batteries ahead of massive battles with Tigers and Bristol Bears in the space of just six days in May.
"It's pretty much a full week off because we've had a long run of games, particularly those guys who have been on international duty," said Saints boss Phil Dowson when asked about this week's plans ahead of a weekend without a game.
"We'll take some time away, come back and hit the ground running against Leicester."
Dowson added: "We've put plans in place which revolve around getting the appropriate training level, resting and taking the opportunity to rest after what is a very long block of games, particularly for those international players, and connection, finding the balance between those two things.
"We need to make sure we do enough, we rest enough and we're staying tight as a group."