IT was good to get a win against Northampton last weekend, but what I was most impressed with was the manner of the victory.

Not only did we get the win, but we put in a really good performance too.

We've won a few games this year, but I felt we played to the best of our ability at Franklins Gardens.

We all felt satisfied when we came of the pitch that it had been a very good team performance and we took a lot of enjoyment from it.

However, it is very important now that we take that performance into our next game against London Irish who are right on top form at the moment.

If we don't put in a similar performance against them, it undermines all the hard work we put in against Northampton.

London Irish have developed throughout the season and they seem to be getting better and better so it will be a very tough game for us.

They are one of the best -- if not the best -- sides in the league away from home. They have a great record on their travels, which will make this weekend's game even more difficult for us.

We beat them at their place in September, so they will want to get revenge for that result too.

They play a complete brand of rugby and have a very big pack and lethal backs. Mike Catt is at the centre of everything at the mo-ment, while Ricky Flutey is playing really well at fly-half and Olivier Magne is a real livewire.

A win like last week's always builds confidence and lifts the mood in the camp, but we are well aware that we need to be able to put back-to-back results together to be successful.

Consistency has been a problem and a massive frustration for us this season, so we will just concentrate on doing the little things right.

We have only won once in our last five league games, but if we can do the simple things well against London Irish, I think we can win.

We are concentrating hard on our run-in now and, if we get through to the European Challenge Cup final, we have six games left this season. To qualify for the Heineken Cup would be wonderful, but it would be stupid to start focusing on that now.

We can't think that far ahead and we have to continue taking each game as it comes and approach them separately. If we do that, I believe we can achieve what we want to.

We have got Gloucester twice in two weeks -- in the cup semi-final and in the Guinness Premiership -- and, as players, we are always desperate to play in the local derby games.

They are one of the few teams we have not beaten away from home, so we will be looking to put that right.

They are playing good rugby at the moment and they should be great games with the fans generating a brilliant atmosphere.

A few players have got knocks at the moment, but there are always a few bumps and bruises in the squad by this stage of the season.

But that is the nature of the game and is no different for any other team.