Starting: Rory Kockott
Related links
Teams
Also see
South African scrum-half Rory Kockott has been handed a starting jersey for Castres in their Heineken Cup clash with Northampton Saints on Friday.
Kockott has been in the headlines recently after publicly stating his desire to leave the club in order to pursue Test rugby with France or SA.
The French outfit visit Franklin's Gardens on Friday sitting two points ahead of the Saints in Pool 4, meaning that a victory is essential for the home team to continue their European journey.
But the Saints are in contention thanks to an against-the-odds win over pool leaders Ulster in December, and boss Mallinder says that the atmosphere in the camp this week has been similar to the days before the trip to Ravenhill.
"We still have a massive point to prove in Europe, and the players know what is expected of them on Friday night," he told the Northampton website.
"We need a win to keep our destiny in our own hands, especially as Castres are two points ahead of us in the pool.
"We also know that it will not be easy against one of the top teams in France. Castres have been in superb form over the past few months and have been playing a style of rugby which makes the most of their big forwards and speed out wide.
"It is a massive challenge for us, and all of the focus has been on what we need to do on Friday. We are just about playing knockout rugby, so getting the win is all that matters.
"But we've been playing well recently, scoring good tries and defending well, so there is plenty for us to build on and we are in a positive frame of mind to get our home form back."
Northampton name James Wilson in place of Ken Pisi, who is ruled out due to an ankle injury. Stephen Myler continues at fly-half ahead of Ryan Lamb while England squad members Calum Clark and Tom Wood join now Saxon Phil Dowson in the back-row.
The teams:
Northampton: 15 Ben Foden, 14 James Wilson, 13 George Pisi, 12 Dom Waldouck, 11 Jamie Elliott, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Lee Dickson, 8 Phil Dowson, 7 Tom Wood, 6 Calum Clark, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Samu Manoa, 3 Paul Doran-Jones, 2 Dylan Hartley (capt), 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements: 16 Mike Haywood, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Tom Mercey, 19 Mark Sorenson, 20 GJ Van Velze, 21 Martin Roberts, 22 Ryan Lamb, 23 Tom May.
Castres: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Max Evans, 13 Romain Cabannes, 12 Rémi Lamerat, 11 Marcel Garvey, 10 Daniel Kirkpatrick, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Antonie Claassen, 7 Yannick Caballero, 6 Jannie Bornman, 5 Iosefa Tekori, 4 Christophe Samson, 3 Anton Peikrishvili, 2 Mathieu Bonello, 1 Yannick Forestier.
Replacements: 16 Brice Mach, 17 Saimone Taumoepeau, 18 Michaël Coetzee, 19 Matthias Rolland, 20 Paul Bonnefond, 21 Pedrie Wannenburg, 22 Pierre Bernard, 23 Thomas Sanchou.
Date: Friday, January 11
Kick-off: 20:00
Venue: Franklin's Gardens
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Paul Haycock (Ireland), Michael Black (Ireland)
Television match official: Peter Ferguson (Ireland)
Timekeeper: Matthew Peters (England)
Citing commissioner: Douglas Hunter (Scotland)
Assessor: Fergus Neil (Scotland)
Comments
rugby_rockstar says...
I'll be watching this match on the red button tonight.
Posted 15:40 11th January 2013
TVaddict says...
NH should win this and really should be aiming for a bonus point as Castres don't travel well.
Posted 14:50 11th January 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
Nhsaints: agree. Think we will see Saints of yesteryear. Got a feeling this is a year for Saints with their dip just when they needed it. If they can keep the recovery momentum and avoid injuries. Don't think they'll top Ulster but can get through to knock outs and enjoy their away form in knockouts.
Posted 10:41 11th January 2013
NHsaints says...
I like the look of this side, it's probably our strongest/second strongest side and I really think we can pick up all the points here despite indifferent home form...
Posted 16:22 10th January 2013
melkdave says...
Saints really need a victory here imo,with a bonus point if possible,to keep their HC hopes alive.The frustrating thing is we know they are capable of doing that,but they have been just too inconsistent .Hopefully Saints will get the 5 points,but it isnt going to be easy .
Posted 15:35 10th January 2013
Jediboy says...
Great to see James Wison back. A player with massive potential. Saints must step up, or its over for them. Like the look of this Saints team.
Posted 13:17 10th January 2013