Tom Wood: Northampton Saints have 'inner belief' for final

Northampton Saints forward Tom Wood says they have an "inner belief" they can continue to upset the odds and win the Premiership title.

Saints defeated Saracens 27-13 at Allianz Park on Sunday to reach the final for the first time.

Wood told BBC Radio Northampton: "We knew we had it in us and it was good to put it together when it really counted.

"It's not about what's said outside of the camp. It's about inner belief. But it's going to have to go up a level."

Saints, who were in the semi-finals for the fourth year in a row, had lost their five previous matches against Saracens, but turned the formbook upside down after dominating the opening half.

"We looked around our huddle in the forwards pack before we went out and we really believed we had the better of Saracens if we could get it together," said Wood, who will captain England on the summer tour to Argentina.

"We showed how powerful we can be. Our defence really put them under pressure - and that's a trademark of theirs. We turned it on them."

Leicester Tigers, who ended Northampton's hopes at the semi-final stage in 2011, will provide the opposition in the final on 25 May, their eighth in succession, but Wood is undaunted.

"It's no good being in a final and then folding," he said.

"We know the threats Leicester pose. We saw what they did to us at home not so long ago. We owe them a few.

"We've had some tough times against Leicester, but we've proved what we can do and it's about reproducing that."