"It was good to build on the momentum of our current run of 6 unbeaten games in the Guinness Premiership and LV= Cup . We were not happy with our game against Scarlets, and we all sat down and discussed what did not go right, and it paid off on Sunday with our first win in the LV= Cup, against Newcastle.

"It is great to see the new talent coming through and, for me, it was refreshing to see them all having a go and enjoying playing the rugby. It is always encouraging to see the academy boys such as George Lowe, Sam Smith, Chris York, Ross Chisholm, Joe Marler, Charlie Matthews, Luke Wallace and Ollie Lyndsy-Hague coming through and putting the pressure on the first team players, although it is sometimes a little bit worrying...

"It was not too long ago that players like myself, Mike Brown, Ugo Monye, Tom Guest,Tom Williams, Chris Robshaw, Mark Lambert and Jordan Turner-Hall were all coming through the academy at Quins, and we had our chances to shine in games similar to Newcastle on Sunday. It means that the regular first team players never get a chance to relax, as there is always someone else wanting to take that shirt away from you.

"Northampton are a good side who are performing well this season; they have strong ball carriers throughout the team and play a game based on physicality. They will look to come out hard against us, but we are ready for whatever they throw at us and relish the chance to beat them on their own ground."

Northampton V Harlequins, Saturday 21st November. Kick off 13.00 (away at Franklin's Gardens)