‘Iconic stadium’: Northampton praise Loftus after beating Bulls at home

Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson and centre Fraser Dingwall have described it as a great honour to play at the iconic Loftus Versfeld stadium, let alone win there.

The English side competed at the Pretoria venue for the first time during their Champions Cup match on Saturday. While the Bulls dominated possession and territory, Saints made far fewer errors and took every opportunity offered to win 30–21.

Afterwards, Bulls director of rugby Jake White gave a no-holds-barred honest opinion of his team’s performance while Dowson and Dingwall were all smiles and gracious about their South African hosts.

‘Cool to play at Loftus’

“It was really cool to play at Loftus,” Dingwall beamed during the post-match press conference.

He said that while the day only saw an official attendance of 13,549 of the 51,000-plus capacity, the fans were vocal.

“It was cool to play one of the best sides in the world at the iconic stadium. To play here let alone win is a massive privilege for us. The stadium was not full but the fans still used their voices. You can imagine what it would be like if it was full.”

Dowson said Saints were grateful to get away from the cold and wet weather in the United Kingdom, though the altitude and temperature in Pretoria were challenges.

As was playing at the “heart” of South African rugby, he said, adding that Loftus was part of South Africa’s rugby heritage.

“Players (in the Champions Cup) want to play against the best players and at the best stadiums,” he said.

Dowson added that some of his players had never travelled outside of Europe.

Saints build confidence after beating Bulls at Loftus

“When we were down to 14 men we defended by the skin of our teeth. That kept us in it. The Bulls fought back but we kept playing and stuck to what we are good at.”

Dingwall agreed, saying the team backed themselves to out-run and out-play their opposition when the going got tough.

Dowson added they would take lots of confidence in beating the Bulls at Loftus.

Saints sit at the top of Pool 3 in the Champions Cup with 10 points after two wins from two games. They have earned maximum bonus points so far.

The Bulls, on the other hand, lie at the bottom of the pool (placed sixth) with a -31 point difference and no points yet.