Saints taking LV= Cup seriously

In it to win it: Northampton

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Teams

• Gloucester
• Northampton

Also see

• Moody previews Round 3 of the LV= Cup
• Referees to January 27

Northampton Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder says his team will be taking Saturday's LV= Cup match with Gloucester seriously.

The Saints go into Saturday's match at the top of Pool 4, and if results go the team's way a win over Gloucester could see the men in black, green and gold reach the semi-finals for a third time in four years.

Mallinder made it clear that this is a massive incentive for the team.

"We always want to win every match in every competition," he said.

"We are well placed in the LV= Cup after our first two matches and want to kick on when the competition resumes this weekend.

"It is going to be a big game against Gloucester. They are still well in touch in Pool 1 and won the competition in 2011, so they know what it takes to succeed in the LV= Cup.

"For our part we are taking the game very seriously and will be doing everything that we can to win."

Saturday's game is the first time that the Saints and Cherry and Whites will have crossed swords in the LV= Cup since the 2010 final, a game which lit up Sixways with a four-try, 54-point thriller which went down to the final 10 minutes before being won by the Saints.

Both teams have a long-standing pedigree in Anglo-Welsh competition. The Saints reached both the 2010 and 2012 finals, as well as the 2009 semi-finals. Meanwhile Gloucester lifted the trophy in 2011, reached two more finals and three semi-finals.

This season the Saints were pipped in the last play of a 61-point end-to-end thriller against Harlequins, before coming home from Rodney Parade with the points seven days later.

Gloucester also have one win and one loss from their two matches, getting a losing bonus point at the Liberty Stadium and a comfortable home victory over London Welsh in Round Two.