Four games into our return season in the Guinness Premiership and a 50/50 record so far with two home wins and two defeats away from the Gardens. However but for the second half blip up at Newcastle you have to say it is a fair showing so far. Saturday's game down at Watford might have ended in defeat but there was certainly was no disgrace. We are still finding our feet and you could not fault the lads for their effort.

 An early storm was weathered and then Saints gradually came back into it and despite being heavily outweighed in terms of possession we might have had a healthy lead going into the final quarter but for a couple of slipped chances. Ultimately a few minutes of madness was our undoing. Under great pressure from Sarries first Ben Foden then Dylan Hartley were sent to the sin bin after referee Martin Fox deemed both had interfered with play. At least one of those binnings was arguable at least but it gave Saracens the breathing space they needed to put some light between themselves and us.

To be fair overall you would have to say on the day the best side won but for the effort alone Saints were worth at least a losing bonus point. It was not until we were down on numbers that the defence cracked and Saracens players remarked we had given them the hardest game of the season so far. Sarries coach Eddie Jones, not a man to over enthuse about the opposition in the past commented "you've got to give a lot of credit to Northampton. They scrapped and fought hard at the tackle contest. Jim Mallinder is doing an excellent job with them and they are a side that fight very hard." Jones also commented on our overall fitness, testament to Nick Johnston's regime, I wonder how many years he puts us behind the big boys of the GP now?

As I am sitting here writing this on Tuesday evening to meet a deadline I do not yet know the outcome of the game against Leicester up at Welford Road last night but I am hoping the back page of this paper reads ‘Super Saints Stuff Tigers!" .Well maybe that is a little too much wishful thinking on my part but whatever the outcome I think after those first five GP games we can write on Jim and his teams early season report card that yes are still things to be worked on but overall we appear to be heading in the right direction. With a six week break coming up away from the rigours of the Guinness Premiership while Saints concentrate on Europe and the EDF Energy Cup it will be time to take stock in preparation for hitting the ground running again with the same gusto come November when the GP returns.

That is not to say that the feet will be off the gas in the interim there are still competitions to contest starting with the visit of Bristol in the EDF cup on Saturday.

I have made my views on the EDF known in this column before. To me it is one competition too far in an already overcrowded season and but for the cash it generates, it is said to be worth more to clubs than the European competitions, I am sure there would have been pressure to kick it into touch long before now.

You also have to question the wisdom of playing EDF games on a Saturday while playing the GP in midweek. What is the priority?

I don't know what it is about the EDF but it just does not grab the imagination like its predecessor the Tetleys/Pilington/Powergen/John Player Cup ever did and ditching the lower league clubs and denying them a big pay day to include the Welsh regions, when we already play them in Europe, dented it further. You only had to look at the attendance of last years' final day at Twickenham to see how high, or should that be how low, supporters hold it in regard now. I seem to remember almost full house's for our four visits over the last 20 years, now I'm not so sure that even a Saints v Tigers final would more than half fill HQ.

However for the meantime we are in it and depending on how our season shapes up it could be a backdoor into the Heineken Cup next season. The big question is just how much onus the club put on winning the thing. In my mind if you are targeting a HC berth by this route it is better to throw your kitchen sink at the European Challenge Cup as the French never take it too seriously and the majority of top English clubs are playing in the top comp. Maybe though the coaches are considering a tilt at both but with the thought that really this season is all about Guinness Premiership consolidation will either or maybe both competitions be used to give other squad members a run while resting others. I guess we will not know till the team is announced for both Saturday and then the game down in Toulon a week today just how seriously we are taking the two competitions but going on last seasons mantra of we are in it to win it I would not be too surprised to hear we are having a big go at both.

Saturday's game against Bristol is the first of, at least, five meetings between the two clubs this season. They say familiarity breeds contempt but not so in this case as it will be last time in these games that we will get to see former Saint, now Bristolian, and all round good guy, Andy Blowers play at the Gardens. AB returns to New Zealand at season end and it will be one last, sorry five last chances to say goodbye to him. He might be playing for the opposition but I am sure he will get as bigger reception as if he were still one of our own.

OFF TO TOULON

Don't all cheer at once but there will be no column from me next week. Like a few hundred other hardy souls I will be heading down to Provence early next week to watch Saints take on Toulon's assorted All-Stars on Thursday night in the first group game of the European Challenge Cup.  The Stade Mayol can apparently be a bit of a cauldron at times and I'm quite looking forward to it. Whilst we might sing songs of Saints marching in the Toulonnais sing tales of the ruthless Pilou warriors coming down from the mountains to the sea ready to wreck havoc. It will be anything but quiet. If I survive all that I'm off to Montpellier and Toulouse following our game in Toulon, I'll report back on it all in two weeks.