England trio 'very hungry to play' as Saints get set to face Tigers

Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam and Tommy Freeman have been training but not playing matches as they have been on their mandatory 10-week break following their participation in England's summer tour of Australia.

But that 10 weeks is now up, and they are ready and raring to go as Saints face local rivals Leicester Tigers at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens this weekend.

"Getting those really good players back is very good!" said Saints head coach Sam Vesty.

"They are such a great addition to our squad and they are very hungry to play.

"They've not played rugby for a well-documented 10 weeks - and they are just hungry.

"All of those guys are rugby players and you play rugby because you love it.

"They all want to play rugby, and they've been nothing but a positive influence on the team so far."

Saints were without Lawes, Ludlam and Freeman last weekend but still managed to beat London Irish 38-22, claiming a bonus point in the process.

And Vesty said: "Our squad's in good shape at the moment, which is where we want to be.

"We've had tough selection calls - and that's exactly where we want to be.

"We're at a stage now where our squad is relatively competitive across a lot of positions.

"These boys coming in, adding that competition and fighting for positions is exactly where we want to be because it keeps everyone hungry."

Dan Biggar was due to make his return to Saints action last weekend, but he had to withdraw at late notice due to illness.

However, ahead of the Tigers tussle, Vesty said: "Dan is a great player and he's looking forward to getting back and playing rugby because it's been a little while for him.

"He's enthused and he's obviously a great addition to put back into our team."