Diggin keeping final focus

Paul Diggin says Northampton Saints are keeping their focus ahead of their LV= Cup final clash with Gloucester Rugby on Sunday.

Winger says Saints fully focused on Sunday's final and not on treble talk

Paul Diggin says Northampton Saints are keeping their focus ahead of their LV= Cup final clash with Gloucester Rugby on Sunday. The high-flying Saints go into the game as firm favourites and have a chance of winning a treble this term, with the side currently sitting second in the Guinness Premiership and being the only English team in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup. And while Diggin acknowledges the Saints have put themselves in a "good position" as regards the treble, he told skysports.com the squad are putting all such talk aside and are focusing fully on the task in hand at the Sixways Stadium. "Our job in hand is to win the cup final this Sunday," said the winger, adding he was "massively" looking forward to the game.

Brilliant

"It is great to be in any final and one so early in the season is brilliant." The winger scored a try as the Saints beat Saracens 31-20 in their semi-final at Franklin's Gardens last time out, their fifth victory in their last six games. "Hopefully we can take that winning form into the final," he added But the 25-year-old insisted Jim Mallinder's squad are not under-estimating their opponents and will be "really doing our homework on Gloucester'". He said: "They have got some big game players coming into form at the moment, especially in the backs." Diggin believes former Cardiff Blues fly-half Nicky Robinson will be key for their opponents and he will punish the Saints with his boot if they give away penalties.

Very disciplined

"We have got to be very disciplined in our own half," he acknowledged. While Sky Bet have the Saints as 4/11 odds-on favourites for the game, Diggin is not listening to the pundits. "We are under no illusions how hard the game will be," he said, believing the Saints will need to be at the top of their game all over the field. "Our forwards need to be running hard and our backs need to be making the right decisions at the right times." Diggin called on the Saints supporters to get fully behind their side and he can not wait for this Sunday's action to get underway. "It is going to be quite an exciting game," he said. Paul Diggin was speaking ahead of the LV= Cup Final when Northampton Saints take on Gloucester at Worcester's Sixways Stadium on Sunday March 21 at 3.30pm. The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports 3. Tickets are available from www.warriors.co.uk/tickets/boxoffice.php