Northampton Saints and Worcester Warriors play their U18 Academy Premiership fixture tomorrow after their original game had to be postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
With a venue now found and a weekend spare in the calendar though, the game can go ahead.
It is a crucial one of Northampton Saints, they are the only side who can stop Gloucester from topping the Northern Division ahead of the Academy Premiership Finals Day Allianz Park.
Gloucester sit thirteen points clear of Saints but have played two games more. If Saints win their two games in hand with maximum points they will be just three points behind Gloucester ahead of the two side’s fixture on the 30th January, which would then become a division decider.
Saints must pick up those wins though, and while bonus points are not vital, they would be handy. It will not be easy against a Worcester Warriors side who have won two and lost two of their four matches so far, with victories coming over Leicester Tigers and Yorkshire Carnegie. The Midlands side also ran Gloucester very close, they are a very handy side indeed.
It should make for a fascinating game tomorrow though, one featuring some of the most talented U18 players in the country, plenty of whom can expect to be involved in the England U18 set up this year.
Northampton Saints U18 v Worcester Warriors U18
Northampton Saints
15 Oli Burgess 14 Adam Shaw 13 Freddie McKibbin (c) 12 Fraser Strachan 11 Adrain Sanday 10 James Grayson 9 Ben Richardson 1 George Cave 2 Alex Rayment 3 Ehren Painter 4 Ben Kelland 5 Jasper Dix 6 Sam Easton 7 Matt Watson 8 Jake Carter.
Replacements:16 Rob Marmion 17 Devante Onojaife 18 Rhys Charalambous 19 Alan Gregory 20 Tom Brown 21 Harry Warn 22 Gregor Haldane 23 Fraser Dingwall.
Worcester Warriors
15 Max Craven (Worcester Sixth Form College) 14 Alex Hearle (Shrewsbury College) 13 Alex Nisbet (Bromsgrove) 12 Will Butler (Hereford Cathedral) 11 Blake Edwards (Bromsgrove) 10 Ollie Allsopp (Malvern College) 9 Jamie Shillcock (Academy) 1 Freddie Hemmingway (John Kyrle) 2 George Newman (Worcester Sixth Form College) 3 James Page (Academy) 4 Lawrence Weston (Bromsgrove) 5 James Scott (Malvern College) 6 Ted Hill (Worcester Sixth Form College) 7 Tom Ford (C) (Bromsgrove) 8 Tom Dodd (Warwick).
Replacements: 16 Bec Cutting (Bromsgrove) 17 Kai Owen (Worcester Sixth Form College) 18 Ben Davies-Moore (Worcester Sixth Form College) 19 Cam Tawfik (Worcester Sixth Form College) 20 Jacob Ham (King’s Worcester) 21 Dion King (King’s Worcester) 22 Stan Maine (Worcester Sixth Form College).
