Lewis Ludlam captains Northampton Saints this Saturday as DHL Stormers are welcomed to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens for the first time in the two clubs’ histories.
Phil Dowson names an extended squad of 30 for the exhibition clash, with Saints taking to the field for the first time since January – when they defeated Newcastle Falcons 38-13 to seal their tenth consecutive win across both the Gallagher Premiership and Investec Champions Cup competitions.
Now, after a six-week hiatus during the Six Nations tournament, the men in Black, Green and Gold return to the field to welcome last season’s URC runners-up and Champions Cup quarter-finalists.
Juarno Augustus – who joined Saints from the Stormers back in 2021 – will face off against his former teammates as he joins skipper Ludlam and flanker Angus Scott-Young in the back row.
Fiji hooker Sam Matavesi packs down with props Emmanuel Iyogun and Trevor Davison in the front row, while Tom Lockett and Chunya Munga complete the forwards at lock.
Callum Braley and Charlie Savala will steer Saints’ ship from scrum-half and fly-half respectively, with Tom Litchfield and Burger Odendaal outside them in the centres.
Ollie Sleightholme is joined by England Under-20 international Will Glister on the wings, with Jake Garside starting the clash at fullback for the first time in his Saints career.
Saints have named a larger-than-normal bench, with 15 players set to enter the action on Saturday – with the likes of Alex and Ethan Waller, Fiji international Temo Mayanavanua, No. 8 Sam Graham and scrum-half Tom James all named amongst the replacements.
Also amongst the names are Scotland international Rory Hutchinson, who links back up with Northampton from Scotland’s Six Nations squad, and long-term injured winger Tom Seabrook, who recovers to feature in a matchday squad for the first time since December.
Tickets for the clash remain available from just £20 adult / £6 child HERE, while the match will also be streamed live on SaintsTV HERE and the Club’s Youtube and Facebook channels.
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS vs DHL STORMERS
Saturday 9 March, 2024
cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens
Kick-off: 2.30pm
15 Jake Garside
14 Will Glister
13 Tom Litchfield
12 Burger Odendaal
11 Ollie Sleightholme
10 Charlie Savala
9 Callum Braley
1 Emmanuel Iyogun
2 Sam Matavesi
3 Trevor Davison
4 Tom Lockett
5 Chunya Munga
6 Angus Scott-Young
7 Lewis Ludlam (c)
8 Juarno Augustus
Replacements:
Robbie Smith
Tom Cruse
Alex Waller
Ethan Waller
Paul Hill
Temo Mayanavanua
Alex Moon
Geordie Irvine
Kayde Sylvester
Sam Graham
Tom James
Rory Hutchinson
Tom Seabrook
Ewan Baker
Alfie Garside*
* Denotes guest player
DHL STORMERS TEAM TO FACE SAINTS:
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Chris Hollis, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Ben Loader, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Keke Morabe, 7 Junior Pokomela, 6 Willie Engelbrecht, 5 Connor Evans, 4 Gary Porter, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Brok Harris (c).
Replacements: 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 19 Scarra Ntubeni, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Nama Xaba, 22 Marcel Theunissen, 23 Godlen Masimla, 24 Hacjivah Dayimani, 25 Damian Markus, 26 Suleiman Hartzenberg.
Not available for selection:
Tarek Haffar, George Hendy, Curtis Langdon (suspended), Beltus Nonleh, Tom Pearson, Ed Prowse, and James Ramm.
International duty:
Elliot Millar Mills (Scotland), Alex Coles, Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Alex Mitchell, and Fin Smith (all England).
Referee: George Selwood
Assistant referees: Greg Macdonald and Peter Allan
No. 4: Andy Ashwell
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