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England scrum-half Alex Mitchell believes a two-week break since Northampton’s last game could prove to be ideal timing for the Prem leaders.
Saints are away to Leicester Tigers in the latest East Midlands derby on Saturday (15:05 BST), a match which pits first against third, with both teams on course for the end of season play-offs.
Northampton won the title in 2024 and have only lost once in the league in 2025-26, but Mitchell admitted it had been “a long old season”.
“We’ve got four games of the regular season, then we’re into the play-offs, so it was perfect timing for us,” he told BBC Radio Northampton’s Saints Show.
“We’re getting the results, we’re getting five points but our performances aren’t always there [of late], we’re not getting 80 minutes on the pitch which can be a bit frustrating.
“We know we’re getting to crunch time in the season with some quality games coming up and that we need to step it up.
“It’s a good place to be that we’re still getting results but there’s so much to work on.”
Mitchell suffered a hamstring injury during the Six Nations in February and was out of action until he reappeared as a replacement for Northampton in their European Champions Cup quarter-final defeat by Bath on 10 April.
That left them with just the league to focus on and he started the last two games against Exeter and Bath but was withdrawn after 50 and 55 minutes.
He is, though, hopeful of being at his best for the remainder of the campaign.
“It takes a bit of time to get that full match fitness back but I feel I’m in a good place now. I’ll be pushing on to the end of the season,” Mitchell added.
“I was out for seven, eight weeks – I was in the international camp, then coming back here, different moves, different players, so it takes a bit of time to get used to.
“And with a hamstring injury, it’s a bit different to some other injuries, it’s something to get used to, especially when I’m doing the top speed stuff. Hopefully I’m getting better week on week.”
Mitchell has been impressed by young team-mate Archie McParland, now established as his chief understudy.
The 21-year-old started five straight games for Saints while Mitchell was away during the Six Nations and recovering from a hamstring injury, and looked impressive throughout that run of fixtures.
McParland has also replaced Mitchell in Saints’ last two games and looks to be not just a part of Northampton’s future but also their present.
“It’s great to see these young boys coming through and doing so well,” Mitchell said.
“In any position you want a bit of competition, you don’t want to be the only player – you can’t play every minute of every game, you need rest, and boys to come in and come out. It takes a bit of the pressure off as well.”
Saints beat Leicester 32-26 on their own ground in October, but are expecting another close, hard-fought contest at Welford Road.
“They’ve got quality individuals and they’ve shown that through the whole season. They’re a great physical team and a tough team to beat,” Mitchell added.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a two-horse race, there’s so many good teams in this league. The play-offs will be fantastic if we get there, so we need to keep playing well.”
