Preview: Northampton v London Irish
London Irish will be boosted by the return of Delon Armitage for this Friday's clash against Northampton at Franklin's Gardens.
London Irish are boosted by the return of full-back Delon Armitage for this Friday's clash against Northampton.
Other changes to the starting XV see Romanian international, Paulica Ion coming in as tighthead prop and James Buckland starting at hooker.
“Despite the short turnaround we've prepared well and have strong belief in our ability to challenge whenever and wherever we play. The players are looking forward to the game,” said Exiles Head Coach Toby Booth.
“Delon's return is our gain and England's loss this weekend – he's a fantastic player.”
Meanwhile, Saints have announced that Friday's Round Nine fixture at the Gardens is a sell-out.
The two teams are dominating the Aviva Premiership league table and scoring charts as the competition edges ever closer to the half-way stage, and unsurprisingly the game has been declared 'full' days in advance.
Director of Rugby Jim Mallinder says that it is a big game for the club and that London Irish should be treated with plenty of respect.
“Top-of-the-table clashes are always big games, but these are the games that we want to be involved in as they show we are heading in the right direction,” he said.
“It will be a challenging evening for us. London Irish have been playing some good rugby this season and deserve their position at the top end of the league table.
“Their forwards and midfielders have been carrying the ball powerfully and their strike runners out wide have been scoring plenty of tries. We will certainly have to be focused right from the first whistle if we want a positive result.”
Mallinder also thanked the fans for filling Franklin's Gardens in advance.
“The fans have really made their presence felt this season for the big matches, and it matters a lot to the players and coaches that the stadium is already sold out,” he added.
Form: Northampton have won their last three encounters with London Irish, whilst the Exiles have not won at Franklin's Gardens since a 21-20 scoreline in November 2004. The top two teams in the Aviva Premiership Rugby table, and the two top try scoring clubs meet head on at Franklin's Gardens. Northampton Saints returned to the top of the table for the first time since round three after their 19-10 victory over Sale on Friday. The Saints are unbeaten in their last eight games in all competitions. London Irish slipped up 25-33 at Wasps on Sunday – the first time the Exiles had failed to record a league point in a Premiership game this season.
The teams:
Northampton: 15 Greig Tonks, 14 Jamie Elliott, 13 Jon Clarke, 12 James Downey, 11 Paul Diggin, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Ryan Powell, 8 Roger Wilson, 7 Tom Wood, 6 Phil Dowson (capt), 5 Christian Day, 4 Mark Sorenson, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Brett Sharman, 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements: 16 Andy Long, 17 Regardt Dreyer, 18 Tom Mercey, 19 Calum Clark, 20 Mark Easter, 21 Stuart Commins, 22 Shane Geraghty, 23 Bruce Reihana.
London Irish: 15 Delon Armitage, 14 Topsy Ojo, 13 Elvis Seveali'i, 12 Daniel Bowden, 11 Jonathan Joseph, 10 Ryan Lamb, 9 Paul Hodgson, 8 Chris Hala'ufia, 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 Kieran Roche, 5 Bob Casey, 4 Nick Kennedy, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 James Buckland, 1 Clarke Dermody (capt).
Replacements: 16 David Paice, 17 Alex Corbisiero, 18 Faan Rautenbach, 19 Matt Garvey, 20 Richard Thorpe, 21 Marcus Watson, 22 Chris Malone, 23 Darren Allinson.
Date: Friday, November 26
Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
Venue: Franklin's Gardens
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth
Assistant referees: Robin Goodliffe, Alan Biggs
Coach: Brian Campsall
Timekeeper: Mike Hamlin
Television match official: Trevor Fisher