Preview: Harlequins vs Northampton Saints - prediction, team news, lineups

Harlequins invited Northampton Saints to Twickenham Stoop this Saturday day for the last gameweek of this year's regular Premiership Rugby season.

Quins were beaten 26-12 by Saracens astatine the StoneX successful their erstwhile outing, portion the Saints came from down to bushed Gloucester 36-32 astatine Franklin's Gardens.

Match preview

Harlequins’ streak of qualifying for the European Champions Cup successful each of the erstwhile 5 league campaigns could good extremity if they autumn to decision against Northampton Saints astatine Twickenham Stoop connected Saturday afternoon.

Jason Gilmore’s men presently beryllium ninth successful the array and way eighth-placed Gloucester by a singular point, meaning a Cherry and Whites bonus constituent triumph against Newcastle Red Bulls would person Quins playing successful the European Challenge Cup adjacent season.

However, large wins against some Newcastle and the Exeter Chiefs successful caller weeks mean that thing little from George Skivington’s men volition enactment Harlequins’ destiny successful their ain hands, with the London outfit having a superior points quality to Gloucester.

Although they were defeated astatine location to Northampton successful the Premiership Rugby Cup earlier this year, Quins person won each of their erstwhile six league matches against Saturday’s opponents astatine Twickenham Stoop and volition beryllium hoping to widen that streak successful bid to beryllium competing amongst Europe’s elite again adjacent season.

With apical spot already secured, Saturday’s lucifer against Harlequins comes arsenic much of a lukewarm up lucifer for Northampton up of returning to location ungraded adjacent weekend.

Having enactment Bristol Bears to the sword astatine Franklin’s Gardens 3 weeks ago, confirming their playoff place, the Saints sealed a location semi-final with a precocious comeback triumph against Gloucester connected Saturday afternoon.

Winning 10 of their erstwhile 11 league matches, Phil Dowson’s broadside person pulled distant astatine the apical of the array and aft miserably defending their Premiership rubric past season, volition beryllium looking to snatch the crown backmost disconnected Bath astatine the extremity of the month.

Although keeping the squad successful highest information volition beryllium Dowson’s main priority, the Saints volition beryllium assured of rounding disconnected the regular play successful benignant and beating Harlequins for the 4th successive encounter.

Harlequins Premiership form:

Harlequins signifier (all competitions): 

Northampton Saints Premiership form:

Northampton Saints signifier (all competitions): 

Team News

Gilmore has made a fistful of changes to the battalion that faced Saracens past play arsenic Pedro Delgado, Zach Carr, Elliot Williams and Chandler Cunningham-South marque mode for Ollie Streeter, Jonny Green, Stephan Lewies and Jarrod Evans.

There is lone the singular alteration crossed the Quins backline, with Cadan Murley moving to outside-centre and being replaced connected the helping by Cassius Cleaves.

The Saints person made an abundance of changes to the broadside that edged past Gloucester past play arsenic Dowson rests the likes of Alex Coles, Henry Pollock, Fin Smith, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank.

Amongst the newcomers see Fraser Dingwall, Curtis Langdon and Tom Lockett.

Starting arsenic a replacement, Sonny Tonga'uiha has the accidental to marque his Premiership debut connected Saturday afternoon.

Harlequins starting lineup:

15 Benson, 14 Anderson, 13 Murley, 12 Bradley, 11 Cleaves, 10 Smith, 9 Porter; 1 Hobson, 2 Riley, 3 Streeter, 4 Green, 5 Lewies, 6 Kenningham, 7 Evans, 8 Dombrandt

Replacements:

16 Staples, 17 Wenger, 18 Delgado, 19 Treadwell, 20 Petti Pagadizabal, 21 Lawday, 22 Townsend, 23 Bellamy

Northampton Saints starting lineup:

15 Pater, 14 Martin, 13 Litchfield, 12 Dingwall, 11 Ramm, 10 Belleau, 9 Weimann; 1 Fischetti, 2 Langdon, 3 Kundiona, 4 Lockett, 5 van der Mescht, 6 Kemeny, 7 Pearson, 8 Graham

Replacements:

16 Wright, 17 West, 18 Tonga'uiha, 19 Munga, 20 Chick, 21 James, 22 Thame, 23 Hendy

We say: Harlequins 12-30 Northampton Saints

Harlequins' caller signifier leaves them with plentifulness to beryllium optimistic astir heading into adjacent season, nevertheless for the clip being it is hard to look past the Saints.

We deliberation that Dowson's broadside volition beryllium to person excessively overmuch for Quins, picking up a bonus constituent triumph and becoming the archetypal broadside to surpass the 75 constituent people since the league was reduced to 11 teams successful 2022. 

>Click present to work the afloat previews of each Premiership Rugby crippled this weekend