Northampton v Quins: Teams
Northampton boss Jim Mallinder admits his side's impressive home record will come under intense scrutiny against Harlequins.
Last Updated: 19/12/08 2:41pm
Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder admits his side's impressive home record will come under intense scrutiny when Harlequins arrive at Franklin's Gardens.
Quins come into the game on the back of two impressive wins over Stade Français and Mallinder knows his side will have to be at their very best if they are to win.
"Harlequins are one of the form sides in Europe at the moment," he said on Friday.
"Dean Richards has put together a squad full of talented players who have become a cohesive team. They like to play with the ball in hand but the games against Stade Français showed how much they can impose control on a match too.
"However we are confident going into tomorrow's match. Everyone who played in the Challenge Cup games against Bristol put in good performances and there has been plenty of competition for the 22 places in the squad for Saturday.
"We have a home record we are proud of and will be working hard for a good result against Harlequins."
Carlos Spencer will make his 100th appearance for the club if he comes off the bench for the Saints.
Harlequins have opted to freshen up their squad for the clash, with Danny Care handed a well-earned rest.
Care is replaced in the No.9 shirt by Andy Gomarsall, while Seb Stegmann replaces Tom Williams on the wing.
Northampton: 15 Bruce Reihana (c), 14 Paul Diggin, 13 Jon Clarke, 12 James Downey, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Lee Dickson, 8 Roger Wilson, 7 Scott Gray, 6 Mark Easter, 5 Christian Day, 4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements: 16 Paul Shields, 17 Tom Smith, 18 Alex Rae, 19 Mark Hopley, 20 Ben Foden, 21 Carlos Spencer, 22 Chris Mayor.
Harlequins:15 Mike Brown, 14 Seb Stegmann, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Jordan Turner- Hall, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Andy Gomarsall, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Will Skinner(c), 6 Chris Robshaw, 5 Jim Evans, 4 James Percival, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Tani Fuga, 1 Ceri Jones.
Replacements: 16 Chris Brooker, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 George Robson, 19 Tom Guest, 20 Gareth Williams, 21 Chris Malone, 22 De wet Barry.
