Northampton v Wasps: Teams
Northampton welcome back several England internationals for their match against Wasps at Franklin's Gardens this Saturday.
Last Updated: 26/03/10 1:42pm
Northampton welcome back several England internationals for their Guinness Premiership match against Wasps at Franklin's Gardens this Saturday.
Ben Foden marked his first England start with a try against France last weekend, while debutant Chris Ashton and captain Dylan Hartley also return to club action.
Saints won the LV= Cup in their absence but director of rugby Jim Mallinder insists that that particular competition is now firmly behind them.
"The LV= Cup was a good competition for us but our attention is now firmly on the Guinness Premiership," he said.
"We've got a hard few weeks in front of us, starting on Saturday.
"Wasps are a tough side. They will have a few players back from international duty and from injury and they know how to win games at this stage of the season, when they always seem to be there or thereabouts in the push for the play-offs.
"It is a big game, which we are having every week now. But this is where you want to be as a player or as a coach. We've won a competition and are competing in another two, but success only comes one game at a time."
Rees returns
Meanwhile, Wasps director of rugby Tony Hanks has named a strong team for their trip to the Gardens.
Tom Payne and Joe Worsley are back from international duty, while scrum-half Joe Simpson and flanker Tom Rees both return from injury.
Rees, who captains the side, is making his first appearance of the season having recovered from a long-standing shoulder injury, while Simpson returns after suffering a dislocated shoulder late last year.
Lock George Skivington, meanwhile, has recovered from the concussion he suffered against Saracens and partners Dan Ward-Smith in the second row, with John Hart switching to number eight.
Dominic Waldouck lines up with Steve Kefu in the centres and Tom Varndell and Danny Cipriani come back into the starting XV.
"We are delighted to welcome Tom Rees and Joe Simpson back to the game," Hanks said.
"Both players have shown huge resolve and focus to work through their rehab programmes which, especially for Tom, have been lengthy.
"Although they have not been seen on the pitch over the past few months, their contribution to the team has been huge behind the scenes and everyone is pleased to welcome them back to action.
"To have these guys back in the mix, alongside George Skivington and our England pair of Payne and Worsley, there has been a real lift at the Club this week.
Referring to last week's 19-8 defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened Sale, he added: "The performance at Sale was not good enough by our own standards and we are very focused on this week's game and a strong performance against Northampton that reflects our own high expectations."
Northampton: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Jon Clarke, 12 James Downey, 11 Bruce Reihana, 10 Shane Geraghty, 9 Lee Dickson, 8 Roger Wilson, 7 Neil Best, 6 Mark Easter, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Courtney Lawes, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Dylan Hartley (capt), 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements: 16 Andy Long, 17 Regardt Dreyer, 18 Euan Murray, 19 James Cannon, 20 Mark Hopley, 21 Alan Dickens, 22 Stephen Myler, 23 Joe Ansbro.
Wasps: 15 Mark Van Gisbergen, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Dom Waldouck, 12 Steve Kefu, 11 Tom Varndell, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 John Hart, 7 Tom Rees (capt), 6 Joe Worsley, 5 George Skivington, 4 Dan Ward-Smith, 3 Zak Taulafo, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements: 16 Tom Lindsay, 17 Ben Broster, 18 Bob Baker, 19 Dan Leo, 20 Serge Betsen, 21 Dave Walder, 22 Ben Jacobs, 23 David Lemi.