Tommy Freeman says he and his Northampton Saints team-mates have the experience necessary to spark a Prem Rugby revival this season.
The England winger has admitted the loss of departing players, including Courtney Lawes and Lewis Ludlam, contributed to a poor domestic showing last term as the Saints’ title defence fell flat.
But the 24-year-old also told the BBC Rugby Union Weekly podcast he believed injuries were partly to blame for Northampton’s slow start last term.
Freeman, who started all three of the British & Irish Lions Tests against Australia this summer, says there were multiple reasons behind Saints’ eighth-placed finish.
He said: “We had a pretty tough start last season. There were injuries, a lot of us were away with England camps and we just didn’t perform, early doors.
“We know it’s pretty important if, initially, you lose a couple of games. It can put you right down the bottom of the table.
“Obviously, we had a lot of experienced heads when we won the league – and you could say that we probably don’t any more.
“Losing big names like Courtney and Luds and those boys obviously is a massive loss, but I think now we can kind of take it in our stride and give off what they gave.
“We have to be the ones to drive that and we know we can play for 80 minutes if we do. We are going to keep doing what we are good at and moving the ball into space.
“However, it’s got to be an 80-minute performance. Not just going to attack and then letting a side in, or just switching off for the moment.
“I think with the players we have got at this level and the team we have around us, that we have got to stay in [games].”
