Northampton fly-half says he’s ready for challenge of Piers Francis
EVERGREEN Stephen Myler insists he has no interest in personal accolades as he prepares to face down the latest challenger to his coveted No.10 Northampton jersey.
With recently-capped England fly-half Piers Francis eager to stake a claim at Franklin’s Gardens once he arrives from his stint with the Auckland Blues, Myler is in familiar territory having previously seen off a host of pretenders, including Shane Geraghty and Ryan Lamb.
However, Myler, 32, right, remains unfazed, telling
The Rugby Paper: “It would be completely naive to think I can be the only flyhalf at Northampton. I’ve been here long enough to know you’ll be challenged and the arrival of Piers Francis doesn’t change a thing. You have to relish that competition and all you want from the situation is that if you are playing well and better than the other person, then you’ll get the shirt.”
Myler, now entering his 12th season at Saints, added: “Nobody’s guaranteed a shirt because he’s a name or been here a long time, all that’s irrelevant. Jim Mallinder’s always been clear on that and what’s important is what’s to come and how you can influence it.
“I don’t care if I’ve been at the club 11 years or whatever, that doesn’t interest me in the slightest. Last season wasn’t good enough and my focus is solely on what I can do now to help us improve for the start of next season, not whether I can hang on to a shirt.” Northampton salvaged a disappointing campaign by securing a Champions Cup spot via the play-offs. However, a lack of tries dogged their campaign – Saints bagged fewer league five-pointers (52) than all bar Newcastle (51) and Bristol (42) – and Myler believes they must look to the likes of Wasps (89) and Exeter (86) if they are to launch a title charge. He said: “From an attacking point of view, Exeter and Wasps were very potent last year and they were in the final for a reason. “Scoring tries is not always about going out with the attitude of just chucking the ball about, but they did the right things over and over again and got some huge rewards on the back of an attacking mindset. We were guilty of not doing that last year and invited pressure on ourselves, rather than being able to exert it on the opposition.
“Out-defending teams is not always the best way and it’s a lesson we need to learn going into the new season.”
A fit and firing George North would help, with Myler adding: “Unfortunately, George sustained an injury which ended his Lions tour early.
“But he’s made of strong stuff and he’s feeling the same as everybody about what happened at Saints last season.
“He’s a world-class player and if we can get him fit and he stays injuryfree, there’s no doubt he can hit the heights he did before.
“His input will be crucial and we’re working as hard as we can to bring success to Northampton again.”