Four Lions in Northampton line-up for Champions Cup grudge match

Henry Pollock returns to the Northampton starting line-up against Bordeaux-Begles, giving the back-row forward the opportunity to turn the tables on the current Investec Champions Cup holders.

Bordeaux-Begles beat Saints 28-20 in last year’s final and Pollock can expect another hostile reception, from both oppositon players and the 34,000-strong crowd at Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas.

Pollock was confronted by Bordeaux-Begles players at the final whistle of European rugby’s showpiece occasion and his pulse-check try celebration was later mocked on social media by opposition back-rower, Tevita Tatafu.

The soon-to-be 21-year-old sat out last week’s 66-21 hammering of Harlequins but is back in the pack, at No.8, as Pool 4 leaders Saints look to qualify for the knockout stages with a round to spare.

Pollock is one of four British and Irish Lions included in the XV, with Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith lining up at half-back and Tommy Freeman continuing at outside centre.

Danilo Fischetti is the only remaining face in Saints’ front row from the Harlequins match, as he stays on at loosehead prop in France, with fellow prop Trevor Davison starting at tighthead while hooker Craig Wright – who signed on again with the club earlier this week – completes the front row.

Dowson names an unchanged second row in Bordeaux, with last weekend’s man-of-the-match Alex Coles partnering JJ Van Der Mescht in the engine room for the eighth time this term.

Callum Chick captains Northampton in Round 3, shifting to blindside flanker for this weekend’s clash to allow incoming Pollock to start at No.8 while England international Tom Pearson stays on at openside flanker.

Scotland’s Rory Hutchinson is outside of Mitchell and Smith at inside centre, with Freeman at 13.

Ollie Sleightholme’s return to the starting XV allows George Hendy to shift into fullback this weekend, while Edoardo Todaro – who scored one of Saints’ 10 tries against Quins – completes the back three.

Northampton team v Bordeaux-Begles:

15 George Hendy
14 Ollie Sleightholme
13 Tommy Freeman
12 Rory Hutchinson
11 Edoardo Todaro
10 Fin Smith
9 Alex Mitchell

1 Danilo Fischetti
2 Craig Wright
3 Trevor Davison
4 Alex Coles
5 JJ Van Der Mescht
6 Callum Chick (c)
7 Tom Pearson
8 Henry Pollock

Replacements:
16 Robbie Smith
17 Emmanuel Iyogun
18 Elliot Millar Mills
19 Ed Prowse
20 Chunya Munga
21 Sam Graham
22 Archie McParland
23 James Ramm