'So much more we can be better at', says Saints head coach Vesty
Sam Vesty insists there is 'so much more' Saints can get better at after their victory in the Gallagher PREM season opener.
The black, green and gold ran in nine tries on their way to a clinical 59-26 success against Newcastle Red Bulls at DPD Stadium at Franklin's Gardens on Friday night.
But head coach Vesty said: "The scoreline probably got run away with towards the end.
"There were some performance bits there where we came off second best, and I felt like that scoreline perhaps flattered us a bit.
"They (the Saints players) are very good at rugby and when it was great, it was great, but there's so much more we can be better at to give us more opportunities to do that.
"There's lots more to do because our breakdown was where they (Newcastle) tried to get into the game, and they caused a lot of issues there.
"Over the season, that's going to be where teams go after us so we have to be better at the breakdown."
Saints lost a few key men during the summer, with the likes of George Furbank, James Ramm and Sam Graham, who was wearing Newcastle colours at the Gardens last Friday, departing.
But many of the players who helped to steer the black, green and gold to the PREM title last season stayed at Saints.
And Vesty said: "The beauty of not having a massive turnover of your squad each year is that you can take some stuff over from last season.
"Most of these guys have been with us for a few years so it's about just getting back on the bike and pedalling."
With Furbank gone, James Pater stepped up to take the 15 shirt against Newcastle.
And the 19-year-old went on to produce a fantastic performance, claiming three tries and a couple of assists on the night.
"He's a fantastic rugby player," Vesty said.
"He gets his three tries, but he's also assisting, moving the game around the field, bossing the backfield in defence.
"I thought he had a very strong performance and he's got a bright future."