Leicester v Northampton: Premiership fear as Saints give big guns a rest

Premiership Rugby has expressed concern that Leicester’s “shot at redemption”, as their prop Dan Cole puts it, has been given a significant boost by the decision of Northampton to rest eight first-team regulars for Saturday’s East Midlands derby at Welford Road, one of the standout games in the final Aviva Premiership round of fixtures.

Tom Wood, Luther Burrell, Samu Manoa and Courtney Lawes are all missing from the match-day squad, while Dylan Hartley, the captain, is on the bench.

Leicester need to win to ensure their presence in the play-offs for the 11th year in succession.

Northa…