Saints will switch Mallinder to No.12 in push for play-offs
NEW Northampton backs coach Alan Dickens has urged England hopeful Harry Mallinder to lead a Saints revival by stamping his mark on the No.12 jersey.
Mallinder’s best position has been debated following fine fly-half performance for England U20s, but Eddie Jones views him as a 12 and Dickens, right, agrees, meaning he faces a fight with Luther Burrell as Saints aim to kick-start their league campaign.
Dickens told TRP: “It’s not necessarily a case of Harry having to knock Luther off because we can’t expect these boys to play 35 games a season, but he wants to play at No.12 and that’s where we see his long-term future.
“We’ve learnt lessons from last season that we need to use all of our squad, so we’re in the fortunate position of having guys like Harry and Rory Hutchinson who will put pressure on Luther and each other to fill that midfield slot. “Versatility is important and Harry is comfortable at 10 and 15, but he’ll have his chance at inside-centre and we hope he comes through.” Two wins from their opening six league games leave Northampton behind the eight-ball, with a try-tally of just 10 leading to the sacking of Alex King.
Dickens, who has stepped up from the Saints academy after coaching England Saxons in June, said: “It was apparent that we weren’t playing as well as we’d hoped and what happened to Alex is a reminder that we’re judged on results.
“It was a difficult week but it’s not a crisis and last year was the first time we finished outside the top four since my first year here in the 2008-9 season. We stuttered last season but even then we finished fifth and were one win off the play-offs, so that’s positive and we have a good squad.
“Perhaps our pack wasn’t as dominant last season, but we’ve rectified that with the signing of Louis Picamoles and we’re creating lots of chances.
“We’ll go back to basics and look to be more accurate in the scoring zone.”