It would mean the Saints winning at Saracens in the semi-final having booked their place in the top four in the penultimate round with a 66-5 victory in Newcastle, two days before the only team that could have pipped them, London Irish, slumped at Sarries.
Northampton sit out the final round of the regular season next weekend knowing that they cannot be overhauled in fourth despite having the worst defensive record in the Premiership this season having conceded 86 tries – but they have also scored the most, 84, eight more than Harlequins.
Northampton’s recent record against Saracens is poor with two victories in the last 12 Premiership matches, including this month’s 38-29 success against a largely second strong side which had Duncan Taylor sent off after eight minutes, but they won there in the 2013 semi-final and defeated Sarries in the final the following year.
“This is the most competitive league in the world and everyone can beat everyone,” said second row Moon who has been an ever-present in Northampton’s league match-day squad this season, starting 17 of their 21 matches, including the scratched victory over Wasps.
“The table has been very close. When we played Gloucester a couple of months ago they were above us in the table but now they are one off the bottom. One of our issues this season has been our away form: before Newcastle, we had only won at Leicester and it has not been like us historically.
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