Northampton Saints Recall Big Names for Saracens Semi-Final Clash
Northampton, May 25 – Phil Dowson, the Northampton Saints director of rugby, has made 13 changes to the starting line-up for Friday’s Gallagher Premiership semi-final against defending champions Saracens at Franklin’s Gardens.
The table-topping Saints sent an understrength side to their recent 12-43 defeat at Bath on May 18, with Burger Odendaal and Olie Sleightholme the only two players retaining their starting spots for the highly-anticipated semi-final clash.
Courtney Lawes will captain the Saints in his final outing at the Franklin’s Gardens, as Northampton feature in their third consecutive Premiership semi-final and 12th overall in the club’s history. The home side will be aiming to reach the final for the first time since their 2014 title-winning campaign.
“Courtney Lawes will captain the Saints in his final outing at the Franklin’s Gardens, as Northampton feature in their third consecutive Premiership semi-final and 12th overall in the club’s history.”
Alex Waller and Alex Moon are also set to make their final appearances for Northampton in the starting XV, while Lewis Ludlam is poised to make his final home bow from the replacements. The front row will see hooker Curtis Langdon and tighthead prop Trevor Davison join Waller.
In the backline, the league’s second-highest points-scorer, Fin Smith (132), starts at fly-half, while Alex Mitchell, who has the most assists in the Premiership this season (11), takes the scrum-half role. The lethal attacking duo of Ollie Sleightholme, the league’s top try-scorer, and Tommy Freeman, who has made the joint-most clean breaks (26), start on the wings.
Northampton will be aiming to overturn their recent semi-final defeats against Leicester Tigers (2022) and Saracens (2023) as they welcome the current champions to Franklin’s Gardens on Friday evening.
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