Northampton v Glasgow live on Sky Sports 1HD: Heineken Cup match preview
Dylan Hartley returns to the Northampton line-up in one of four changes for the Heineken Cup opener with Glasgow.
Last Updated: 14/10/12 12:22pm
The hooker was ruled out of his side's first defeat of the season against London Irish last time out with an eye injury but returns for the European contest at Franklin's Gardens.
The other change in the forwards sees Rhys Oakley come in at No. 8, with some positional shuffling meaning it is lock Samu Manoa who drops out of the squad.
In the backs, George Pisi slots into the centres after recovering from a shoulder injury, while James Wilson also returns from injury to start at full-back with Vasily Artemyev switching to the wing. Luther Burrell and Noah Cato drop out.
South African forward Gerrit-Jan van Velze is named among the replacements after being eligible for selection again following his four-week ban.
Glasgow head coach Gregor Townsend has made three changes from the RaboDirect PRO12 away win over Cardiff Blues last Saturday.
Stuart Hogg makes his full return from an ankle injury as he lines up at full-back, while Ryan Grant comes in at loosehead prop and Tim Swinson starts in the second row.
Glasgow have gone for a six-two forward-back split on the bench as they anticipate a physical encounter with the Saints.
Northampton: 15 James Wilson, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 George Pisi, 12 Dom Waldouck, 11 Vasily Artemyev, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Lee Dickson, 8 Rhys Oakley, 7 Tom Wood, 6 Phil Dowson, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Samu Manoa, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Dylan Hartley (c), 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements: 16 Mike Haywood, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Paul Doran Jones, 19 Mark Sorenson, 20 GJ Van Velze, 21 Martin Roberts, 22 Ryan Lamb, 23 Tom May.
Glasgow: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Peter Horne, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Ruaridh Jackson, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 Ryan Wilson, 7 John Barclay, 6 Josh Strauss, 5 Al Kellock (c), 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Mike Cusack, 2 Dougie Hall, 1 Ryan Grant.
Replacements: 16 Finlay Gillies, 17 Ofa Fainga'anuku, 18 Gordon Reid, 19 Tom Ryder, 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 James Eddie, 22 Niko Matawalu, 23 Peter Murchie.
What they said...
Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder
"You don't win at places like the Arms Park and Liberty Stadium unless you are a good team and Glasgow have shown in the last couple of seasons that they are developing into a dangerous outfit.
"Gregor Townsend has a squad which is full of international, Heineken Cup and PRO12 experience, and they have followed up last season's PRO12 semi-final with a good start to the season.
"From our perspective we know we need to get off to a good start in the Heineken Cup and make the most of starting our campaign at home. But if we are to get the result we want we know that nothing less than a massive step up from last weekend's game will do.
"All of the players have worked hard in training this week and are determined to get another winning run started on Sunday."
Glasgow head coach Gregor Townsend
"The start of the Heineken Cup is always a really exciting time in the calendar.
"This weekend we have the opportunity to achieve something we've never done before, beating a Premiership side in England, and although we know it will be massively tough, we travel with confidence in each other and how we want to play.
"Historically, we've not been fast starters in our pool, and getting results on the board early on is crucial to our firm ambition of qualifying for the knock-out stages.
"It's going to take a very special effort from all 23 players to beat Northampton and establish early momentum in the tournament, but this group certainly has what it takes to achieve that."