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Recap: Northampton Saints vs Bristol LIVE | Gallagher Premiership

RugbyPass Live Match Centre

Follow all the action on the RugbyPass live blog from the Gallagher Premiership match between Northampton Saints and Bristol at Franklin’s Gardens. 

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Keep up to date with the latest score, stats and join the conversation from anywhere in the world in our Live Match Centre (click here).

Pat Lam says his Bristol team will relish the challenge of Sunday’s Gallagher Premiership clash against fellow play-off candidates Northampton.

Bristol head to Franklin’s Gardens knowing that victory is likely to put them in fourth spot following Gloucester’s home defeat at the hands of leaders Exeter on Friday. Saints, though, are just five points behind Exeter in second, which underlines the size of Bristol’s task.

“Going to Northampton is always a massive challenge,” Bristol rugby director Lam told the club’s official website. “But it’s a game we are excited by because you are playing a team that loves to play rugby and it could potentially be a really good game for the neutral and for everybody.

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“Putting the work in and following on from what we did against Gloucester (last month), it puts us in good shape to go there. We are under no illusion as to how tough that will be, but we’re excited by it.

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“We’ve had a really beneficial two weeks of recovery and hard work on the training field to ensure we are fit and firing for a big test against a well-coached side.

“Credit to the conditioning and medical team, there is excellent availability in the squad and we are relishing this next block of Premiership fixtures, starting with Northampton.”

Bristol are boosted by the return of full-back Charles Piutau, who has not played since suffering a knee ligament injury six weeks ago. And that is Bristol’s only change of personnel from the side who beat Gloucester, with Luke Morahan reverting to wing duties.

Northampton will be without fly-half talisman Dan Biggar as he continues his recovery from a head injury. The Wales star went off during last Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations defeat against Ireland in Dublin, although he is understood to be on course for next week’s Cardiff appointment with France.

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James Grayson wears Saints’ number 10 shirt as rugby director Chris Boyd makes five changes from the side beaten at home by London Irish last time out.

Scotland centre Rory Hutchinson will line up in midfield alongside Matt Proctor, who starts his first match since December after recovering from a concussion, while fellow backs Tom Collins and Harry Mallinder also feature.

In the pack, lock Alex Moon returns from England duty to partner Alex Coles in the second row, and prop Alex Waller packs down alongside Mike Haywood and Owen Franks.

WATCH: The behind the scenes RugbyPass documentary on Bristol Bears 

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J
JW 9 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Where? I remember saying "unders"? The LNR was formed by the FFR, if I said that in a way that meant the 'pro' side of the game didn't have an equal representation/say as the 'amateur' side (FFR remit) that was not my intent.


But also, as it is the governing body, it also has more responsibility. As long as WR looks at FFR as the running body for rugby in France, that 'power' will remain. If the LNR refuses to govern their clubs use of players to enable a request by FFR (from WR) to ensure it's players are able to compete in International rugby takes place they will simply remove their participation. If the players complain to the France's body, either of their health and safety concerns (through playing too many 'minutes' etc) or that they are not allowed to be part in matches of national interest, my understanding is action can be taken against the LNR like it could be any other body/business. I see where you're coming from now re EPCR and the shake up they gave it, yes, that wasn't meant to be a separate statement to say that FFR can threaten them with EPCR expulsion by itself, simply that it would be a strong repercussion for those teams to be removed (no one would want them after the above).


You keep bringing up these other things I cannot understand why. Again, do you think if the LNR were not acting responsibly they would be able to get away with whatever they want (the attitude of these posters saying "they pay the players")? You may deem what theyre doing currently as being irresponsible but most do not. Countries like New Zealand have not even complained about it because they've never had it different, never got things like windfall TV contracts from France, so they can't complain because theyre not missing out on anything. Sure, if the French kept doing things like withholding million dollar game payments, or causing millions of dollars of devaluation in rights, they these things I'm outlining would be taking place. That's not the case currently however, no one here really cares what the French do. It's upto them to sort themselves out if they're not happy. Now, that said, if they did make it obvious to World Rugby that they were never going to send the French side away (like they possibly did stating their intent to exclude 20 targeted players) in July, well then they would simply be given XV fixtures against tier 2 sides during that window and the FFR would need to do things like the 50/50 revenue split to get big teams visiting in Nov.

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