Mallinder sure Saints are ready for EDF Energy Cup

Northampton Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder says that the EDF Energy Cup match against Bristol tomorrow is a good opportunity for players to make their mark in the Saints first team.

Following two tough away matches at Saracens and Leicester, Mallinder has awarded Saints debuts to centre Nils Mordt and number eight Rob Milligan.

Several more players could also make their first team bow should they come off the bench and the Saints boss says that all of the players involved are eager to demonstrate what they can do on a big stage.

“Competition for starting places has been fierce all season,” he said today. “All of the players have trained well. We have an unbeaten home record that we are proud of and I want this to continue on Saturday.

“The EDF Energy Cup is an important competition for us. But we are also in the middle of a tough run of matches and have to manage our squad, particularly after two physically demanding encounters at Saracens and Leicester.”

Northampton Saints
EDF Energy Cup Round 1
Franklin’s Gardens
Saturday, October 4th, 2008
Kick off 3pm
15 Paul Diggin, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Chris Mayor, 12 Nils Mordt, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Barry Everitt, 9 Lee Dickson, 1 Soane Tonga’uiha, 2 Paul Shields, 3 Barry Stewart, 4 Alex Rae (capt), 5 Matt Lord, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Ben Lewitt, 8 Rob Milligan