Saints flyer Naiyaravoro targets first half blitz
TAQELE Naiyaravoro aims to use his formidable pace and power to help Saints break free from the stranglehold Saracens have had over them for so long – and win a first trophy in five years.
Saints have lost nine on the bounce against the London club and also have mental scars of a recent Premiership defeat.
But Australia wing Naiyaravoro, 27, insists the best way to end the terrible run of results and lift the inaugural Premiership Cup is by making a blistering start.
The Fijian-born flyer insists: “Saracens are a powerhouse team and have a huge defence. We had a meeting during the week to see how we can exploit any weaknesses they had and how we can get the better of them in the final. But it’s really about us, and how we can play our own rugby and give them problems.
“We have to approach it with a lot of belief and confidence. We will have the home crowd behind us and we want to put in a big display for them. We want to give them something to celebrate.”
Naiyaravoro adds: “We started poorly at Allianz Park a couple of weeks back, and we cannot afford to do that again. We have to put them away in the firsthalf and keep them down.
“But we will need to play better than we did last week. We got bit on the chin by Bristol and it was a wake up call for the final.”
Naiyaravoro has built up a huge fan club since moving to Saints just over a year ago from Super Rugby. The wing, who also had a spell with Glasgow three years ago, has shown his explosive running style to good effect during Saints attempt to again become a true Premiership force.
“Being a big guy has its advantages but it also means I have to work on certainly aspects of my performance to make them better,” added the Pacific Islander.
“I stay back and do extra work on my agility and ability to turn quicker to chase back and defend. In Super Rugby I was too slow to turn and they used to kick the ball behind me a lot.
“I’m also looking for the ball now because in the past I’d wait for it to come to me and only get six or seven touches in a game. I want to get involved more and make a bigger impact by gaining more metres.
“I’d love to help the club win a trophy. There’s a lot of history here. It’s one of the reasons why I joined and it’s an honour to be part of it now.”
Flanker Teimana Harrison is fit again and returns to the Saints line-up for the first time in five weeks. Alex Waller comes into the pack at loosehead and leads the team while Luther Burrell starts at centre.