Northampton v Leicester: preview

This weekend’s big Aviva Premiership game is at Franklin’s Gardens, where Northampton Saints play host to their local rivals Leicester Tigers.
The Saints currently lie fourth in the table following last week’s narrow win against London Wasps and are well positioned for a play off spot at the end of the season.
However, they come up against a Tigers side who are 2nd in the league, only five points behind leaders Saracens. They will also have the psychological advantage of winning the season’s earlier meeting at Welford Road, albeit by a slim 16-12 point margin.
At around the same time last year the two teams locked horns in Northampton and the Saints were on the wrong end of a 21-35 scoreline so recent history suggests they will be up against it at 3pm Saturday.
The game could see Saints’ skipper Dylan Hartley packing down against his England rival Tom Youngs.
Speaking at a team building day at Rockingham Castle’s Land Rover Experience Centre the hooker admitted that he had spoken to Youngs about the game whilst on national service.
He said: “The last day on camp we said goodbye to each other and said “see you in a couple of weeks” and shook hands.
“He’s a good bloke, I get on with him well. He is a good player as well – he has done well to make the switch. But I’m not done playing [for England] and hopefully I will get another crack at some stage.”
Ben Foden, who did not play in the clash earlier this season because of an ankle injury, is now fit again and looking forward to the derby.
“It is a derby first and foremost so there will be a massive atmosphere. They are above us in the league so we need to make sure they are not quite out of our grasp and by the end of the season hopefully creep above them in the table, said the full-back.
“That will put us in a good position for the knock out games.”
Watch Dylan Hartley, Ben Foden, Dominic Waldouck and Dorian Weat preview the game below.