Slimmed-down prop Petch loving life at Saints

Tighthead prop Petch arrived from Exeter Chiefs last summer and he has gone on to play 18 games so far for the black, green and gold, starting three times.

Saints love to move the ball quickly in attack, and they ask for athleticism from their forwards.

It has taken some adjusting to for Petch, but he has relished the new challenge, which has led to plenty of personal weight loss!

"I've lost just over 10kg since I've been here," said the 23-year-old.

"It's just because of how we play, it naturally knocks (weight) off each month.

"I want to get better with hands and ball, I want to hit boys, I want to scrum well for the team and maul really well.

"It genuinely just naturally comes off how we play."

He added: "It's been class here, I've loved it.

"The fact I've been involved in almost every game makes it even better.

"I played a lot of games last year for Cornish Pirates.

"I did the skills and that sort of stuff when I was Exeter so I was ready but I'd never had that tough setting in games.

"I played 25 times last year for Pirates and that got me ready.

"I came here and I was probably fourth choice but I got a few games at the start of the season and I've just cracked on from there.

"I'm just taking game by game, I'm learning all the time."

Petch has been competing for starts with Paul Hill for the majority of the campaign.

And the pair have combined to help Saints up to third in the Gallagher Premiership standings following a dramatic 38-34 comeback success against Sale Sharks last Saturday.

"It was one of those things that we keep talking about - out discipline in that first half that let us down," said Petch, reflecting on the win against Sale.

"We came out of the blocks in the second half because Dows (Saints boss Phil Dowson) told us a few things we needed to fix, and we did it.

"You could tell that we came out flying.

"We thought Sale would do certain things so at half-time we needed to fix it and the second half was so much better."

When Fraser Dingwall scored what proved to be the winning try three minutes from time, the noise levels really lifted at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.

And Petch is hoping for more of that kind of atmosphere in the final three home games of the regular season, starting with the visit of fourth-placed Gloucester on Saturday.

"It was one of the best atmospheres I've ever had," Petch said.

"Tigers at home was up there but that might have topped it because I couldn't hear or think. It was one of the best.

"There was screaming from each stand and I loved it.

"What's good is from the first game of the season at home, we had the same fans, all the same faces and they give 100 per cent every week.

"We've had some tough games, some games we should have won, some games we did win, and the fans are our 16th man on the pitch.

"We need every single person.

"If we want to make it to that final and win the final, the fans are going to be the 16th, 17th and 18th man."

Saints will have their work cut out against Gloucester, especially as the Cherry and Whites possess one of the best mauling games in the Premiership.

Petch said: "We all know Gloucester are one of the best mauling sides in the world.

"We've got some things we need to do and we're going to go 100 per cent at it.

"We need to keep our DNA and that's what you see on the pitch.

"We've just got to go hard."