George Furbank will captain Saints in their final preseason clash this Friday (13 September, kick-off: 7.45pm), as Northampton wrap up their preparations for the 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership season with the Mobbs Memorial Match.
Saints’ new Club Captain will play his first match in Black, Green and Gold this term, with fellow England internationals Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall and Ollie Sleightholme also returning to Northampton’s starting line-up.
Friday’s match marks one of rugby’s oldest annual fixtures, with a new format seeing Saints and Blues lock horns in the Mobbs Memorial Match for the first time. The fixture began in 1921 and honours Saints legend, World Rugby Hall-of-Fame inductee, and World War One hero, Edgar Mobbs.
The match has always supported the charitable aims of the Mobbs Memorial Fund, which promotes the development of age-group rugby throughout the East Midlands by way of grants to clubs within the East Midlands Rugby Union – and this will continue within the fixture’s new format. For full details on how to contribute towards the charity’s fundraising efforts on Friday, please CLICK HERE.
James Ramm and Rory Hutchinson are the two remaining backs from last weekend’s clash with Leinster – where Saints were defeated 26-54 by the Dublin side – with Ramm shifting from fullback to wing for this week’s match.
In the forwards, there is a first start in a Saints shirt for Tom West and Luke Green at prop, with Scotland international Robbie Smith joining them in the front row to start at hooker.
Callum Hunter-Hill and Angus Scott-Young form Northampton’s engine room for the Mobbs Memorial Match, with a fresh-look back row in Henry Pollock, Josh Kemeny and Fyn Brown starting behind them.
And Saints name an extended bench for Friday’s match, with the likes of Curtis Langdon, Trevor Davison and Tom James all set to enter the action – while Aiden Ainsworth-Cave and trialist Kieran Perkins could get their first outings in a senior Saints shirt.
Friday’s clash is included in 2024/25 Season Ticket packages, with supporters able to sit in their regular Season Ticket seat.
If you have renewed your Season Ticket this term, please bring your previous card with you on Friday – this has been re-activated. Meanwhile new Season Ticket Holders (or those who have moved seats or changed ticket category) should have received their new card in the post. If your card has not yet arrived, please email [email protected] and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Match tickets for Saints vs Bedford remain available from just £12.50 adult and £7* junior HERE.
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS vs BEDFORD BLUES
Friday 13 September, 2024
cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens
Kick-off: 7.45pm
15 George Furbank (c)
14 Ollie Sleightholme
13 Fraser Dingwall
12 Rory Hutchinson
11 James Ramm
10 Fin Smith
9 Alex Mitchell
1 Tom West
2 Robbie Smith
3 Luke Green
4 Callum Hunter-Hill
5 Angus Scott-Young
6 Henry Pollock
7 Josh Kemeny
8 Fyn Brown
Replacements:
Curtis Langdon
Tarek Haffar
Trevor Davison
Elliot Millar Mills
Ed Prowse
Aiden Ainsworth-Cave
Kieran Perkins*
Craig Wright
Reuben Logan
Tom James
Archie McParland
Charlie Savala
Rafe Witheat
Sione Va’enuku*
Toby Thame
Tom Seabrook
Not available for selection:
Emeka Atuanya, Juarno Augustus, George Hendy, Tom Litchfield, Tom Lockett, George Makepeace-Cubitt, Burger Odendaal and George Smith.
BEDFORD TEAM TO FACE SAINTS:
15 Matt Worley, 14 Alfie Garside, 13 Lucas Titherington, 12 Michael Le Bourgeois, 11 Dean Adamson, 10 Will Maisey, 9 James Lennon; 1 Joey Conway, 2 Nathan Langdon, 3 Oisin Heffernan, 4 Rory Ward, 5 Alex Woolford, 6 Luke Frost, 7 Jac Arthur, 8 Cameron King.
Replacements: Jamie Jack, Tommy Herman, Bryan O’Connor, Shay Kerry, Archie Benson, Fred Tuilagi, Jake Garside, Will Glister, Joel Matavesi, Jamie Elliott, Toby Cousins, Louis James
Referee: Alex Thomas
Assistant referees: Charlie Gayther and Veryan Boscawen
*denotes guest player
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