Talking points: Northampton Saints (h) - Gallagher Premiership

Saints threats

Pat Lam on Saints threats: “Northampton are a dangerous team, however it’s all about making sure that we control the ball, and when we don’t have the ball, ensure that our physicality levels are up with the last two games, if not better, to ensure we put as much pressure as we can on their attacking game, because it’s dangerous if we allow them to play.”

“This week is all about recovery and getting detail right, so a lot of time in the barn, a lot of important meetings to make sure that we build on what we did last week, improve and be good to go on Friday.”

80-minute performance

Joyce on making improvements: “We did some really good things against Worcester but the middle part of the game, we went a bit flat, so we need an 80-minute performance because we know that Saints can cause us some problems.

“When we’ve got the ball, we want to control it, be on the same page and apply the pressure.

“We always talk about Ashton Gate being a fortress, and for the majority of last season it was. This is the second of three home games in a row, and although there are no fans there, we’re determined to keep that run going.”

Detail is key

Pat Lam on detailed preparation: “We started well, came home strong, got the five points, job done. We move on now and it’s another short turnaround, another six-day turnaround, and a lot of the focus off the field has been around getting detail and making sure we’ve got our clarity right and ensuring that we’ve got a full tank, ready for Saints at home again on Friday night."