Saints v Wasps: Teams
Northampton Saints seek to bounce back from last weekend's LV= Cup final disappointment when they take on London Wasps.
Last Updated: 23/03/12 3:46pm
Northampton Saints seek to bounce back from last weekend's LV= Cup final disappointment when they take on London Wasps.
The Saints lost 26-14 to rivals Leicester Tigers in the Sixways showpiece and now seek to boost their hopes of securing an Aviva Premiership play-off place with victory against Wasps, who also need the points at the other end of the table.
Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder has called on his fourth-placed side to use the Sixways disappointment as motivation this weekend.
"The dressing room was a quiet place after last Sunday's game, but I've been pleased with the reaction in training this week," he said.
"The attitude has been very positive and everyone has put in plenty of effort to try and get a place in the team.
"Over the past few weeks the whole squad has played well, and with the internationals coming back selection decisions have been difficult. So everyone in the 23-man squad deserves their place and we are looking for a good performance tomorrow evening.
"Wasps will be tough opponents for us. Like ourselves they are fighting for every league point and it will be a challenging game."
Wasps director of rugby Dai Young is likewise expecting a tough clash.
He said: "Having lost out to Leicester in the final of the LV=Cup last weekend, I am sure that Northampton will come at us with a lot of firepower this weekend, wanting to cement their place in the top four.
"We are aware of the threat that Northampton pose, especially at Franklin's Gardens, and we know that we must be firing on all cylinders this weekend if we want to get a result."
Team news
Saints have suspended flanker Calum Clark "until further notice" following the LV= Cup final.
Clark is due to appear before a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing on March 27 after he was cited for hyperextending Rob Hawkins' right arm during the defeat to Leicester.
In further changes to the side which took on the Tigers, Ben Foden, Chris Ashton, Ryan Lamb, Lee Dickson, Brian Mujati and Phil Dowson all return to the starting line-up.
For Wasps, Hugo Southwell once again captains the side from fullback, after successfully leading the team to a win against London Irish in their last outing.
Richard Haughton has recovered from the injury that kept him out of that game, and takes his place out wide, while Jack Wallace keeps his spot on the other wing.
Dom Waldouck and Elliot Daly make up a familiar pairing in the centres, while Nick Robinson orchestrates from 10 and Nic Berry starts at scrum half.
In the front row, Tom Lindsay starts at hooker, flanked by the usual partnership of Tim Payne and Ben Broster.
James Cannon and Richard Birkett retain their places in the second row, as do the back row trio of Joe Launchbury, Jonathan Poff and Sam Jones.
On the bench, club captain John Hart returns from a lengthy injury to take his place amongst the replacements.
Saints: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 George Pisi, 12 James Downey, 11 Paul Diggin, 10 Ryan Lamb, 9 Lee Dickson (c), 1 Soane Tonga'uiha, 2 Andy Long, 3 Brian Mujati, 4 James Craig, 5 Christian Day, 6 Phil Dowson, 7 Tom Wood, 8 Roger Wilson.
Replacements: 16 Ross McMillan, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Paul Doran Jones, 19 Mark Sorenson, 20 Teimana Harrison, 21 Martin Roberts, 22 Stephen Myler, 23 Tom May.
Wasps: 15 Hugo Southwell (c), 14 Jack Wallace, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Dom Waldouck, 11 Richard Haughton, 10 Nick Robinson, 9 Nic Berry, 1 Tim Payne, 2 Tom Lindsay, 3 Ben Broster, 4 James Cannon, 5 Richard Birkett, 6 Joe Launchbury, 7 Jonathan Poff, 8 Sam Jones.
Replacements: 16 Vladislav Korshunov, 17 Sakaria Taulafo, 18 Simon McIntyre, 19 Ed O'Donoghue, 20 John Hart, 21 Charlie Davies, 22 Ryan Davis, 23 Paul Emerick.