Northampton v Leicester teams: Henry Pollock among 11 changes for Saints as England man one of two key Tigers returnees
Henry Pollock (right) and Freddie Steward (left) are among the big names returning to their sides this weekend.
Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers have both made several changes to their match-day squads ahead of Friday night’s play-off semi-final at Franklin’s Gardens.
The two teams come into the game in decent touch after finishing in the top four of the PREM Rugby table, and meet for a first play-off match at the Gardens since 2014, when Northampton snatched a dramatic last-gasp victory.
This fixture also kicks off the PREM Rugby play-offs, with Bath facing Exeter Chiefs on Saturday.
Northampton make 11 changes for semi-final clash
The headline coming out of Phil Dowson’s selection is the 11 changes he has made from their 38-31 defeat to Harlequins last time out, with big hitters like Henry Pollock, Tommy Freeman and Fin Smith all drafted back into the side.
Club captain George Furbank has been selected to start at full-back in his final outing at the Gardens as a Saint, with Freeman and George Hendy joining him in the back-three. Tom Litchfield retains the number 13 shirt this weekend, while Rory Hutchinson comes in at inside centre. Smith and Archie McParland form the half-back pairing.
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Pollock slots in at number eight, with Tom Pearson and Josh Kemeny both keeping their spots on the flank. Ed Prowse and Alex Coles form a new-look lock pairing this weekend, while Elliot Millar Mills and Emmanuel Iyogun, who makes his 100th Saints appearance, join Curtis Langdon in the front-row.
Saints have opted for a 6:2 bench split this weekend, with Craig Wright, Danilo Fischetti, Luke Green, JJ van der Mescht, Tom Lockett and Callum Chick the forward options, while backs Jonny Weiman and Fraser Dingwall complete the replacements list.
Billy Searle and Freddie Steward back for Leicester Tigers
Leicester boss Geoff Parling has also made some changes, with the headline ones the returns of Freddie Steward and Billy Searle. The pair have been notable absentees in recent weeks, as the Tigers suffered consecutive defeats against Exeter Chiefs and Bath, but make a stunning return to the side this weekend.
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Steward comes straight into the mix at full-back, with Adam Radwan and Ollie Hassell-Collins named on the wings. Will Wand and Orlando Bailey get the nod in midfield once more, with Searle reuniting with Jack van Poortvliet in the halves.
Joaquin Moro, Tommy Reffell and Hanro Liebenberg form a strong back-row unit, with Ollie Chessum and George Martin named as the locks. Joe Heyes, Jamie Blamire and Nicky Smith are named as the front-row.
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Parling has gone for a more traditional 5:3 split on the bench this weekend, with Charlie Clare, Archie van der Flier, Will Hurd, Cameron Henderson, Olly Cracknell, Tom Whiteley, Solomone Kata and Izaia Perese named as the replacements.
Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers teams in full
Northampton Saints: 15 George Furbank (c), 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Tom Litchfield, 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 George Hendy, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Archie McParland, 8 Henry Pollock, 7 Tom Pearson, 6 Josh Kemeny, 5 Ed Prowse, 4 Alex Coles, 3 Elliot Millar Mills, 2 Curtis Langdon, 1 Emmanuel Iyogun
Replacements: 16 Craig Wright, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Luke Green, 19 JJ van der Mescht, 20 Tom Lockett, 21 Callum Chick, 22 Jonny Weimann, 23 Fraser Dingwall
Leicester Tigers: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Will Wand, 12 Orlando Bailey, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Joaquin Moro, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 Hanro Liebenberg, 5 Ollie Chessum (c), 4 George Martin, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie Blamire, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 Archie van der Flier, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Cameron Henderson, 20 Olly Cracknell, 21 Tom Whiteley, 22 Solomone Kata, 23 Izaia Perese
Venue: Franklin’s Gardens
Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant referees: Anthony Woodthorpe, Adam Leal
TMO: Stuart Terheege
How to watch: TNT Sports, HBO Max