Rory Hutchinson says it would be a major step forward if Northampton Saints can get their hands on a second Prem title in three years.
And the Scotland star hopes to give defence coach Lee Radford a fitting farewell as he brings down his curtain on three years with Northampton to join Gregor Townsend's Scotland staff on a full-time basis.
Radford replaced Steve Tandy as defence coach ahead of the autumn but until now has only been part-time with Gregor Townsend’s team.
Hutchinson says the former rugby league man has had a huge impact on his game, and on the club as a whole.
“I think his record speaks for itself,” the Scotland centre said.
"He came to the club and won the league in his first year. We didn't get what we wanted going into the Prem last year but managed to go all the way to the final in Europe and now we're in another final.
"Everyone here highly respects him. When he speaks, you listen. I think he'll take that on into Scotland. I think we've already shown what he can do.
"He's got the best out of me and he's helped my game massively - I can't speak highly enough of him.”
Saints booked their place in the final with an East Midlands derby win over Leicester Tigers on Friday and will face Exeter Chiefs in the final after they stunned Bath with a second-half fightback at The Rec on Saturday.
The two teams will meet in the showpiece match at Twickenham on Saturday.
Northampton were champions in 2024 but fell well short of defending their title last year as they finished eighth. They did, however, make it to the Champions Cup final only to fall short against Bordeaux Begles in Cardiff.
Hutchinson added: "This is our third final in three years. We were disappointed with our Premiership run last year but to get to a European final I still think speaks volumes.”
The 2024 title triumph was their first for a decade, so a chance to win a second title in three years would be a major achievement for the club.
Asked what winning this weekend would mean, the 30-year-old said: “I think it would be huge for the club and especially the town.
“We're so lucky it's such a big rugby town. We just want to put our best foot forward come Saturday.
“What we've done to get to a final has been huge for the town again.
“There's a good buzz around and we're looking forward to the game and hopefully we come out on the right side.”
But the Scotland centre is well aware of the challenge that his side will face at the weekend.
Exeter, rejuvenated this season with veteran boss Rob Baxter back at the helm, came from 26-10 down at half-time to dethrone a Bath side missing Finn Russell on Saturday.
They also held out for more than 40 phases as Bath sought to score a try to win the game at the death.
"Exeter did a great job of getting that back, and I thought they defended very well at the end,” Hutchinson said, before detailing his own painful experience of a famous Exeter comeback.
In the first game of the season, Saints raced into a 33-7 lead when the sides met at Franklin’s Gardens, only for Exeter to score four second-half tries to leave honours even.
“One thing that we've spoken about all season is can we deliver an 80-minute performance.
“I think any team can do it on the day and we've got to make sure that we get this one right. We just want to focus on ourselves and put the best game out there really for us."
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