Sale and Northampton have rested most of their star players ahead of tomorrow’s Amlin Cup quarter-finals at the AJ Bell.
While the Sharks‘ win their last two league games to be right in the play-offs race, the Saints lost their last two setting up a tense finish to the regular season.
It means Danny Cipriani, Dwayne Peel, David Seymour, Johnny Leota and Michael Paterson all seat tomorrow’s game out while Mark Cueto and Dan Braid picked up injuries last week in Bath.
Phil Dowson captains Northampton in the absence of the injured Dylan Hartley while George North, Luther Burrell, Tom Wood, Courtney Lawes and Samu Manoa are not included in the match day 23.
Sale Sharks: Tom Arscott; Tom Brady, Andy Forsyth, Mark Jennings, Rob Miller; Nick MacLeod, Will Cliff; Ross Harrison, Tommy Taylor, Henry Thomas, Andrei Ostrikov, Kirill Kulemin, James Gaskell (c), Mark Easter, Vili Fihaki
Replacements: Marc Jones, Aston Croall, Tony Buckley, Jon Mills, Michael Paterson, Nathan Fowles, Joe Ford, Phillip Mackenzie
Northampton Saints: Ben Foden; Ken Pisi, James Wilson, Tom Stephenson, Fa’atoina Autagavaia; Will Hooley, Lee Dickson; Ethan Waller, Ross McMillan, Tom Mercey, Sam Dickinson, James Craig, Phil Dowson (c), Ben Nutley, Gerrit-Jan van Velze
Replacements: Matti Williams, Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi, Gareth Denman, Christian Day, Teimana Harrison, Kahn Fotuali’i, Dom Waldouck, Jamie Elliott