Double injury boost for Northampton, with international on verge of return

Northampton Saints boss Phil Dowson has delivered a positive injury update on Italian winger Edoardo Todaro, who is now back in training and likely to be available for selection in the next couple of weeks.

Todaro, 20, scored ten tries in 13 games for Saints last season before his campaign was cut short after he tore a cruciate ligament in his right knee while training with the Azzurri ahead of the Six Nations.

And while the weekend trip to Bristol Bears is likely too early for him, Dowson says he isn’t far from playing again and adding to Saints’ already frightening firepower.

“He joined in with training today and looks sharp. We want to make sure we manage that transition back from his rehab into full-scale, full-contact rugby. So hopefully next couple of weeks he’ll be back in the mix.

“His scoring rate was exceptional, but I think also his ability to beat people. I’m thinking of the Bath game down there. His Introduction to PREM rugby was phenomenal, and I think people may lose sight of that because it was a while ago and it was the first half of the season.

“But we’re excited about getting him back. It’s tough for a young player to come in and immediately take a long-term injury. He’s been digging it out.

“There’s a guy called Henry Lumley, who is a very talented centre. He’s played a couple of PREM Rugby Cup games for us as well, and is in the same boat, so they’ve pushed each other, and they’ll be back around about the same time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dowson said on his weekly media call that outside centre Tom Litchfield, who has played since the Gallagher PREM Final win over Exeter Chiefs in June, is a “couple of weeks” away from playing again after suffering an ankle injury in Sri Lanka.