Sleightholme hails 'special' Saints title win

Former England winger Jon Sleightholme has hailed Northampton's Premiership title triumph arsenic "so special".

Saints beat Bath 25-21 astatine Twickenham to triumph nan title for only nan 2nd clip - and first for 10 years.

Sleightholme, who played for some clubs during his ain career, was successful nan crowd to spot boy Ollie people 1 of Northampton's 3 tries.

"Sometimes you don't get what you merit successful sport, sometimes fairytales don't hap - but they've earned it and they do merit it," nan 51-year-old told BBC Radio Northampton.

"You tin travel retired pinch each nan cliches successful nan world, but thing tin put words to nan weekend, it's conscionable been truthful special.

"He was correct successful beforehand of america erstwhile he scored. We mislaid it a bit, it each went a spot nuts. I was a spot tense astir a TMO connected nan grounding, I thought 'oh crikey, don't (rule it out), please'."

Sleightholme was besides successful attendance successful Northampton connected Sunday arsenic Saints celebrated pinch a parade done nan municipality - having antecedently been portion of a akin juncture successful 2000 erstwhile he helped nan nine assistance nan European Champions Cup.

He said: "Unfortunately that wasn't a very pleasant time erstwhile we did nan autobus parade, it was raining.

"There were a batch much group than successful 2000 but I stood connected nan steps of nan Guildhall and I said to him 'just guidelines present pinch maine and conscionable look and return each this successful for a moment'.

"You conscionable don't cognize erstwhile you're going to beryllium backmost successful a business for illustration that. It mightiness beryllium erstwhile successful a career. For a batch of players, it's never.

"'Take it successful and soak it up because it goes by successful a heartbeat', truthful we conscionable stood location limb successful arm, we saw group successful nan crowd that we knew, friends, neighbours and family and it was conscionable a very typical day.

"I sewage backmost aft nan parade and went for a mates of celebratory beers pinch our friends and I was falling asleep. I was perfectly emotionally exhausted."

Sleightholme, speaking earlier Ollie's inclusion successful nan England squad to circuit Japan and New Zealand this summer, admitted nan lucifer itself had been a trial of endurance for supporters

"When Bath sewage successful beforehand (21-18), I was virtually caput successful hands - each punishment we gave away, each knock-on, each small mistake, we conscionable weren't ourselves," he said.

"From nan very precocious modular that we've group this season, immoderate unbelievable rugby nan boys person played, they'll each to a man admit we really weren't that bully connected Saturday."

Bath only had 14 men connected nan transportation for overmuch of nan crippled pursuing nan sending disconnected of prop Beno Obano.

Sleighholme added: "Hats disconnected to Bath, my aged boys arsenic well. I took a batch of pridefulness successful really they didn't conscionable rotation over, they fought and fought and fought and they almost pipped america to nan station astatine nan end.

"They merit a immense magnitude of in installments for that."