Saints want to 'kick the door in' at unhappy hunting ground
Tommy Freeman says Saints want to ‘kick the door down’ at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3.05pm).
The black, green and gold have been given a torrid time in recent away matches against Bristol Bears, who have put them to the sword in brutal fashion on a few occasions.
Saints have lost their past five matches at Ashton Gate in all competitions, shipping a huge amount of points.
It all started with a 62-8 loss on March 3, 2023, and since then Saints have been beaten 39-38, 52-21, 31-23 and, last November, 46-12.
However, they did dish out some revenge at the Gardens last season, securing a stunning 94-33 win against the Bears in a Gallagher PREM game on May 15.
So they know they can beat Bristol, and they will be desperate to do it again at Ashton Gate this weekend.
"It's a tough place to go,” said Freeman, who scored a hat-trick in Saints’ 59-26 Gallagher PREM opening night win at home to Newcastle Red Bulls last Friday.
“They've got a good team, they've got a good home crowd that cheer them on well and our record hasn't been great there, but we'll be looking to go there and kick the door in pretty hard.”
Saints know they have a target on their backs as they bid to become the first team to win back-to-back PREM titles since Saracens in 2019.
"There's always a challenge and it's not done by many teams - and there's a reason for that,” Freeman said.
“But we'll be looking to take each week as it comes, keep our DNA on the pitch and do it well.”
Freeman and 19-year-old full-back James Pater both collected hat-tricks in the win against Newcastle last Friday.
And the England star said: “I thought Pates was excellent.
"He's a young lad, it was his first PREM start at full-back and he stepped in really well.”
On the overall performance against Newcastle, Freeman said: “We knew we had a few more gears in us.
“We were a bit flat at times so we came out (after half-time) and it was a bit better but I think set piece and in defence, there are a few things we'll tidy up.
“You can't have it all your own way and it's the first game of the season so it's good to be getting that number of points.
“Credit to Newcastle for stressing us in those areas and they came with a bit of attack, which was really good to see.
“To get that result to start the season was very positive.”