Relegation aided Saints - Grayson

Grayson was happy to take a step back at Northampton (Getty)

Northampton assistant coach Paul Grayson believes their relegation from the Guinness Premiership a year ago has helped revitalise the club.

Saints are back in the elite after going through League One unbeaten.

"Twelve months ago was tough to deal with, not a lot else could have gone wrong from top to bottom," the former rugby director told BBC Northampton.

"I'm glad we did get relegated because the club, particularly the playing end, needed a serious MOT."

Grayson had only been in charge of the club for 18 months when they went down and he says he is now pleased to have changed his role at the club.

"No matter how long I stay in coaching I don't think I'll encounter what I did last year," he said.

"We had gone without a grand plan for a number of years and I don't think we could have coped with another year of struggling down the bottom pretending we should have been at the top."

Northampton won promotion back to the Premiership last month under the new coaching set-up of Jim Mallinder, Dorian West and Grayson.

The trio were appointed last summer after Grayson was relieved of his duties and the club have since gone unbeaten.

It feels like a rugby club again, it feels like it's got some soul Paul Grayson

Grayson praised Mallinder's calming influence on the players: "Jim came to a place which was emotionally bruised.

"He brings that experience and a completely outside view of the club which is a long way from perhaps the club's opinion of itself.

"It's refreshing to have a completely unemotional view of how things should be done and how things should change and it's to his credit that he's made that happen quickly.

"It feels like a rugby club again, it feels like it's got some soul."

Grayson's role now involves coaching the backs, the defence and developing the players' skills.

He has seen a number of young English players develop at Franklin's Gardens, such as hooker Dylan Hartley and rugby league convert Chris Ashton.

"Dylan is the stand out candidate," said Grayson. "Now's a good time for him to go on tour with England.

"He's had to fight for his place, improve and mature and it would be good for him to have some international experience.

"Chris Ashton needs a summer off, he's been playing non-stop rugby and we know it can lead to injuries.

"He could do with a good break from rugby after back-to-back league seasons, a tour in league and then straight into rugby union."