Northampton Saints v Newcastle Red Bulls: Henry Pollock set for milestone appearances as visitors name 12 debutants
Henry Pollock (left) and Hoskins Sotutu (right) will both feature this weekend when Northampton Saints face Newcastle Red Bulls
Northampton Saints and Newcastle Red Bulls have named their teams for Friday night’s PREM opener at the DPD Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, with both sides going as strong as possible.
Phil Dowson’s team come into the clash looking to get their title defence off to the perfect start against the new-look Red Bulls, while Dan McFarland will hope to begin his tenure at the helm with a victory.
Henry Pollock brings up milestone for Northampton Saints
Newly re-signed back-rower Henry Pollock will make his 50th appearance for Northampton Saints after being named on the openside flank this weekend. He is among a strong squad littered with England internationals too, as Dowson names a strong side for the season opener.
Young gun James Pater gets the nod at full-back, with Tommy Freeman and George Hendy named on the wing. Rory Hutchinson and new club captain Fraser Dingwall form the midfield pairing, while Fin Smith and Archie McParland start in the halves.
Pollock is joined by Callum Chick and Josh Kemeny in the back-row, with Chick at number eight and Kemeny on the blindside flank, while Ed Prowse and Alex Coles start in the locks. Cleopas Kundiona, Curtis Langdon and Emmanuel Iyogun form the front-row.
Robbie Smith, Danilo Fischetti, Ion Neculai, Tom Lockett, Josh Taylor, Alex Mitchell, Anthony Belleau and Ollie Sleightholme are named as the replacements.
Newcastle Red Bulls name 12 debutants for season opener
The new-look Newcastle Red Bulls have named a total of 12 summer signings in their 23-man squad for Friday night’s clash, with seven in the run-on group and five on the bench.
Harrison Obatoyinbo starts at full-back, with Christian Wade and Werner Kok on the wings. Alex Hearle and Chris Harris start in the centres, with Brett Connon and James Elliott named in the halves. Former Saint Sam Graham joins new club captain Tom Christie and Max Hicks in the back-row, with Cam Jordan and Oscar Usher starting in the locks. Fellow ex-Saint Elliot Millar Mills, George McGuigan and Pouri Rakete-Stones are the starting front-row.
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Ollie Fletcher, Tom West, James Harper, Franco Molina, Ollie Leatherbarrow, Simón Benítez Cruz, Zack Henry and Hoskins Sotutu are named as the replacements.
Commenting on his selection, McFarland said: “Northampton won the title last season playing a fantastic style of rugby, they’re really well coached and have got many of the best young players around. For us this is exactly the kind of challenge that a Red Bull team would relish going after, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Asked about a busy summer which has seen a major turnover in personnel, he said: “We’re a brand new team in many respects, just by the sheer number of players and coaches coming together during the summer, and we’re trying to establish ourselves as a force in an incredible league like the Gallagher PREM.
“Nobody is under any illusions in thinking it will just happen overnight and we know we’ll be facing quality teams every single week, but we’ll play with ambition and give it a proper crack.
“In some respects we’re almost like a start-up, albeit with a core group of people who have worked incredibly hard here over many years, showing incredible resilience in coming through some tough times. They are willing us to be ambitious and forward-thinking, and there’s a huge motivation in wanting to do it for those guys who have been through so much here.
“You then combine that with a number of players and coaches who are new to the club, coming together incredibly well in a short space of time, and I think it’s a powerful combination. Cohesion and connection in rugby is such a huge and important aspect, and I’ve been really impressed so far by how well everyone has bought into it.
“We’re very clear in wanting to play a high-energy game, pushing ourselves to the physical limits and sharing special moments together. We’re part of an incredible network with being in the Red Bull family, and you can feel the sense of excitement in every area of the club at the moment.”
Northampton Saints v Newcastle Red Bulls teams in full
Northampton Saints: 15 James Pater, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Rory Hutchinson, 12 Fraser Dingwall (c), 11 George Hendy, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Archie McParland, 8 Callum Chick, 7 Henry Pollock, 6 Josh Kemeny, 5 Ed Prowse, 4 Alex Coles, 3 Cleopas Kundiona, 2 Curtis Langdon, 1 Emmanuel Iyogun
Replacements: 16 Robbie Smith, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Ion Neculai, 19 Tom Lockett, 20 Josh Taylor, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Anthony Belleau, 23 Ollie Sleightholme
Newcastle Red Bulls: 15 Harrison Obatoyinbo, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Alex Hearle, 12 Chris Harris, 11 Werner Kok, 10 Brett Connon, 9 James Elliott, 8 Sam Graham, 7 Tom Christie (c), 6 Max Hicks, 5 Cam Jordan, 4 Oscar Usher, 3 Elliot Millar Mills, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Pouri Rakete-Stones
Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Tom West, 18 James Harper, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Ollie Leatherbarrow, 21 Simón Benítez Cruz, 22 Zack Henry, 23 Hoskins Sotutu
Venue: DPD Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens
Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe
Assistant referees: George Selwood and Veryan Boscawen
TMO: Ian Tempest
How to watch: TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports UHD, HBO Max
