NORTHAMPTON
Head of Rugby: Chris Boyd
Captain: Lewis Ludlam
Ground: Franklin’s Gardens
Capacity: 15,250
The Saints have become like the Curate’s Egg: appetising one week, unpalatable the next. They finished fifth last season, a four-match winning streak in the middle of the campaign bookended by a run of defeats at the start and two at the end as their assault on the top four fizzled out. Courtney Lawes started only four league matches with Dan Biggar going two better and the pair will be absent at the start of this campaign after their Lions day in South Africa.
Northampton have largely looked to the southern hemisphere to bolster their squad with their signings including the South Africa wing Courtnall Skosan, Fiji’s scrum-half Frank
Lomani and the Stormers No.8 Juarno Augustus, player of the tournament at the 2017 U20 World Cup. They have lost Harry Mallinder, but have a crop of young backs comfortable playing the heads-up rugby advocated by DoR Chris Boyd. Scrum-half Alex Mitchell will be key. This is the season for him to turn potential into polish. Like many of the chasing pack, their problem has been consistency: after winning at Exeter with a display brimming with grit and resilience, they then lost at home to Bath. They pushed the top sides hard, yet they were doubled by Bath, thumped at home by Gloucester and lost at Newcastle. They were more comfortable being the underdogs and that has to change if they are to make the top four.