“They haven’t been going so well in their competition, but that makes them dangerous and they’ll grow another leg, like most teams do in games against Saints these days.”
That is the warning issued by Northampton second row forward Mark Sorenson ahead of his side’s LV= Cup showdown against Newport-Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade this afternoon (Sunday, ko 3.15pm).
The Dragons have been struggling in the Rabo Direct PRO12 this season, winning just two of their eight games to date.
They stand on the brink of an unwanted record of seven defeats in a row, overshadowing the Men of Gwent’s previous six-match losing streak.
But Sorenson is refusing to write off the Welsh outfit and he knows they will up their game against a Saints side who have lost their last four games in all competitions.
“We’ve done quite a bit of analysis on them,” he said. “They’ve got some dangerous players.
“They see us as a big challenge as a top side in the English competition and obviously Welsh-English rivalry will always remain, so it should be a really good fixture down there.”
At the age of 33, Sorenson is one of the go-to guys when the younger members of the Saints squad are in need of guidance in times of trouble.
But the former Bay of Plenty and Newcastle Falcons stalwart says it’s not just down to one man to lead Northampton out of the gloom surrounding them following their poor recent run.
“Naturally, with the position I play and perhaps my age it does lean towards that, but we’ve got great young leaders as well,” said Sorenson.
“Calum (Clark) captained the side last weekend (in the 31-30 defeat to Harlequins) and it’s important all guys are talking.
“It’s not down to just one person and it’s not all about talking, it’s about actions: how you play the game and how you train.
“They’re all parts to the week that you’ve got to get right and we’ve got to put an 80-minute performance out there at the weekend.”
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