RugbyRebels

Newcastle: Penny, Radwan, Orlando, Burrell, Wacokecoke, Connon, Schreuder, Brocklebank, McGuigan, Davison, Peterson, Robinson, Welch, Wilson (c), Chick.

Replacements: Blamire, Cooper, Tampin, van der Walt, Fearns, Stuart, Hodgson, Obonna.

Northampton: Furbank, Sleightholme, Proctor, Hutchinson, Freeman, Grayson, James, Waller, Matavesi, Hill, Ribbans, Ratuniyarawa, Wood, Ludlam, Harrison.

Replacements: Haywood, Auterac, Painter, Coles, Adendorff, Taylor, Dingwall, Collins.

Is Isiekwe injured?

He is unfortunately, pec injury. Don't think we'll see him run out for Saints again sadly (unless we can somehow use the money freed up by Franks leaving to get him out of his Sarries contract).

This game is must win if we are going to have any chance of top 4 - though we're reliant on Quins doing badly now too after last weeks shit show. Hope to see a response from the players after last week, which was a really poor showing. Good to see Sleights back.

Continued where we left off, awful discipline in the first 15 mins from Saints

Awful half of rugby, not helped by Carley's pedantic refereeing. Not one for the neutral.

Another 80 minutes of crap. Seems the purple patch has well and truely disappeared.

That puts paid to a top 4 finish for Saints. They have fallen away quite badly over the last 2 weekends.

Boyd appears to have mastered the art of putting the team in a strong position and then making a last minute run out of the playoffs. They're like the anti-Wasps.

Puja

Feels a bit like Saints might have played their final a couple weeks ago v Tigers
Picked up 0 points v Falcons and Gloucester since.