Saints looking to prevail despite midweek Ashton distraction

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS are hoping to transform an architecturally generic, urban concrete football arena in Milton Keynes into a green, yellow and black bedecked bear-pit as they attempt to right what they perceived to be a miscarriage of sporting justice when these sides last met at Thomond Park on the opening weekend of the Heineken Cup.

Their preparations have had to endure a midweek distraction in which England and Saints wing Chris Ashton and club coach Jim Mallinder were reported to have exchanged words at a training session, presumably on foot of the player’s decision to confirm that he was leaving Northampton at the end of the season and taking up a three-year-contract offer with Saracens. The upshot is that Ashton has been omitted from the team to face Munster. While his try scoring prowess will be missed, the team has successfully accommodated his absence already this season when he served a four-week suspension for a hair pulling incident involving Leicester Tigers wing Alesana Tuilagi.

Jamie Elliott comes in on the right wing to replace Ashton, one of four changes. Ireland’s James Downey returns at inside centre instead of Tom May while the Saints welcome back their first choice halfback pairing in Ryan Lamb and Lee Dickson. The pack remains the same eight from the victory over the Scarlets in Llanelli.

Munster coach Tony McGahan has recalled Donncha O’Callaghan to partner Paul O’Connell in the secondrow with Donnacha Ryan moving to blindside flanker, Peter O’Mahony switching to openside in order to cover for the absence of the injured Niall Ronan. Mick O’Driscoll and Dave O’Callaghan come into the replacements. There is plenty at stake for both teams as Northampton chase a place in the knock-out stage of the Amlin Challenge Cup and their opponents search for a victory that would seal a home quarter-final in the premier European tournament.

The alterations that Mallinder has made, principally in changing the halfbacks, suggests that the team will adopt a more fluid approach. They will miss the injured duo of Courtney Lawes (knee) and Tom Wood (foot) both of whom are key players.

The Saints have won their last five matches and demonstrated their core qualities in attack and defence in winning at Parc y Scarlets last weekend. The manner of the defeat at Thomond Park rankles but must be harnessed positively.

The English club place huge store in their scrum but Munster should be better able to cope given the presence of BJ Botha. The visitors have a superior lineout, especially now with a team containing O’Connell, O’Callaghan and Ryan.

Munster’s Achilles heel has been a failure to convert try scoring opportunities into points. They won’t get away with it again. They’ll have to be precise, execute well, make good decisions on the ball, control territory through judicious kicking, vary their game intelligently and don’t kick aimlessly to the excellent Ben Foden. It’s a long list.

Five straight victories in the campaign is a remarkable tally based on the way those matches have panned out but it is whether Northampton are consumed by revenge or propelled by a professional and hard nosed attitude that will determine the outcome.

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS: B Foden; J Elliott, G Pisi, J Downey, V Artemyez; R Lamb, L Dickson; S Tonga’uiha, D Hartley (capt), B Mujati; S Manoa, M Sorsenson; C Clarke, P Dowson, R Wilson. Replacements: B Sharman, A Waller, P Doran Jones, C Day, B Nutley, M Roberts, S Meyler, S Armstrong.

MUNSTER: D Hurley; J Murphy, K Earls, L Mafi, S Zebo; R O’Gara, C Murray; W du Preez, D Varley, BJ Botha; P O’Connell (capt), Donncha O’Callaghan; D Ryan, P O’Mahony, J Coughlan. Replacements: D Fogarty, M Horan, S Archer, M O’Driscoll, Dave O’Callaghan, T O’Leary, I Keatley, D Barnes.

Referee: Romain Poite (France)

Verdict: Northampton Saints