Northampton v Bristol: Teams
Northampton will hand debuts to Nils Mordt and Rob Milligan for Saturday's EDF Energy Cup clash with Bristol at Franklin's Gardens.
Last Updated: 03/10/08 2:42pm
Northampton Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder will hand debuts to both Nils Mordt and Rob Milligan for Saturday's EDF Energy Cup clash with Bristol at Franklin's Gardens.
Mordt will don the No.12 jersey, whilst Milligan takes his place in the side at No.8.
Several more players could also make their first team bows should they come off the bench, and the Saints boss says that all of the players involved are eager to demonstrate what they can do on a big stage.
"Competition for starting places has been fierce all season," he said.
"All of the players have trained well. We have an unbeaten home record that we are proud of and I want this to continue on Saturday.
"The EDF Energy Cup is an important competition for us. But we are also in the middle of a tough run of matches and have to manage our squad, particularly after two physically demanding encounters at Saracens and Leicester."
Bristol news
Bristol have also rung the changes as they look to pick up a win that would boost flagging confidence.
Head coach Richard Hill, whilst making several changes, is still able to name a team containing six full internationals.
Several players are making their first starts of the season, with Mathew Turner and Chris Ashwin making their club debuts.
"This game is probably much more important now. We need a win," Hill said.
"It doesn't matter where it comes from. But it will give the club a boost. This game at Northampton is of quite significant importance."
Northampton: 15 Paul Diggin, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Chris Mayor, 12 Nils Mordt, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Barry Everett, 9 Lee Dickson, 8 Rob Milligan, 7 Ben Lewitt, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Matt Lord, 4 Alex Rae (c), 3 Barry Stewart, 2 Paul Shields, 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements: 16 Joe Gray, 17 Jon Vickers, 18 Ben Broster, 19 James Cannon, 20 Liam Neale, 21 John Brake, 22 Nick Greenhalgh.
Bristol: 15 Vunga Lilo, 14 Lee Robinson, 13 Luke Eves, 12 Kevin Maggs, 11 Mathew Turner, 10 Chris Ashwin, 9 Haydn Thomas, 8 Iain Grieve, 7 Redford Pennycook, 6 Matt Salter (c), 5 Robert Sidoli, 4 Roy Winters, 3 Peter Bracken, 2 Mark Regan, 1 Mark Irish.
Replacements: 16 David Blaney, 17 Alex Clarke, 18 Dave Attwood, 19 Chevvy Pennycook, 20 Sam Alford, 21 Ed Barnes, 22 Greg Barnes.