Tom Litchfield: Northampton Saints delighted by centre’s advance

England’s Fraser Dingwall has hailed Northampton centre partner Tom Litchfield’s advance as a big plus for the club this season.

They were again paired together in midfield for Saturday’s thrilling 35-28 win at Exeter Chiefs, which kept Saints on top of the Prem table.

And the team are looking good for the play-offs, as they are 14 points clear of Bristol in fifth place with only five rounds of matches remaining.

“The thing with Litch is, he’s been growing year on year, and this year you’ve seen an extra little turn in him where he’s been given even more opportunity,” Dingwall told BBC Radio Northampton.

“He’s such a good player; the way he carried, his defensive stuff is really good – you feel him more [on the pitch], you feel his collision work, you feel his movement, you feel the way he’s able to attack even more.

“He’s another one of those typical success stories from this group where someone who gets better year on year, all of a sudden they’re carving up games like this.”

Dingwall’s view was supported by director of rugby Phil Dowson, who described Litchfield’s display at Sandy Park as “exceptional”.

He added: “To leave Rory Hutchinson at home, a Scottish international, and not miss a beat speaks volumes about Tom Litchfield.

“That’s been one of our strengths this year that we have been able to rotate people at times to freshen them up and [other] guys have really stepped in.”

Fin Smith’s try with just five seconds left on the clock gave Northampton the win, a perfect response to the disappointment of losing to Bath in the European Champions Cup quarter-finals in their previous game.

And the two sides will meet again in the league on Saturday, in a 17:30 BST kick-off at Franklin’s Gardens.

Dingwall said staying calm in all situations was one of the hallmarks of their game.

“It’s just the belief in what we do and the understanding of what gives us [scoring] opportunities,” he added.

“Those opportunities come from the first minute all the way through to the 80th, and irrespective of the context of the game, scoreline or time pressure, we are desperate and keen to keep going after the same things.

“It’s going to be another cracker of a game [against Bath]. We showed last week how two teams can really go at it and the boys will really be ready for it.”