Northampton Saints face Leicester Tigers three times this weekend, with the senior side, the Under-18s and Under-17s all set to feature in East Midlands Derby clashes on Saturday 1 February.
While the senior side face Tigers at Mattioli Woods Welford Road in the Premiership Rugby Cup, Saints U18s take to the main pitch at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens to round off the Premiership Rugby U18 League regular season – kicking off at 12pm.
The young Saints sit top of the Northern Conference after going unbeaten through three matches, having defeated Yorkshire (53-26), Newcastle Falcons (40-12) and Sale Sharks (36-26) earlier this month.
A win this weekend would secure Northampton’s youngsters a place in the grand final on Finals Day – held at Kingsholm Stadium on Sunday 16 February this season – and mark the side’s fourth consecutive appearance in the final.
Head coach Charlie Reed makes just one change to the side that defeated Sale last weekend, with Freddie St John starting in Saints’ centres for the clash against Leicester. Elsewhere, Northampton remain unchanged and are led by lock Jack Lawrence at cinch Stadium.
Ahead of the clash, head coach Reed said: “The team are excited that the seniors are playing Tigers on the same day, away from home, it is a good occasion for them.
“Tigers have had a really good run. They have won their first two games, and they have got two more games to go. They will be wanting to cause an upset. We just have to anticipate that, expect it, and try and put our game on the pitch as much as we possibly can.
“Saturday will be a special occasion for the boys as well, running out on the main pitch. I remember last year, playing against Newcastle at the Gardens, the boys created some great memories running out in the stadium – hopefully we can replicate that against Tigers.”
Saints’ U17s then continue the action out on Pitch 2 as they also take on Tigers in a friendly clash – kicking off at the later time of 2pm.
Supporters wishing to attend on Saturday can enter the stadium free of charge via Gate 3 (Supporter Village) – with parking available in Car Parks A, B and C.
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS U18s vs LEICESTER TIGERS U18s
Premiership Rugby U18 League, Round 4
Saturday 1 February, 2025
Kick-off: 12pm
15 James Pater
14 Ernie Jackson
13 Henry Lumley
12 Freddie St John
11 Charlie Tamani
10 Hugh Shields
9 Harry Evans
1 Matt Browne
2 Zack Garrett
3 Aiden Reid
4 Ollie Hull
5 Jack Lawrence (c)
6 Jack Lewis
7 Harry Price
8 Siep Walta
Replacements:
16 Ferdi Barnett-Vincent
17 Lucas Veevers
19 Mark Miska-Alvarez
20 James Hudson
21 Lucas Norton
22 Max Innes
23 Sonny Goode
Saints U17s team to play Leicester Tigers (kick-off: 2pm):
15 George Cooper, 14 Noah Hendry, 13 Maxton Hubbard, 12 Ashton Cox, 11 Mattieu Degui, 10 Ethan Horne, 9 Evan Jarman; 1 Tom Murphy, 2 Kingsley Gallimore, 3 Louie Dufty, 4 Connor Wright, 5 Will Hepher (c), 6 Brad Bohmer, 7 Ronan Perkins, 8 Rafferty Hewitt.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Borman, 17 Ollie Denny, 18 Jake Warnes, 19 Jacob Walton, 20 Sam McDermott, 21 Archie Ball, 22 Kaio Fisher, 23 Will Howes.
