Northampton Saints v Gloucester: Full team news for Saturday's game

The England scrum-half has been sidelined due to a neck injury, meaning he has not played for Saints since scoring the winning try in the Gallagher Premiership final last season.

But he has been back in full training in recent weeks and is now among the replacements for this weekend's Premiership encounter at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.

Manny Iyogun, Henry Pollock, Fraser Dingwall and James Ramm are also part of a strong Saints bench.

George Furbank returns from England duty to skipper Saints from full-back, while Ollie Sleightholme, Fin Smith, Alex Coles and Trevor Davison also start.

Tom West gets the nod at loosehead, while Angus Scott-Young is selected at six.

Emeka Atuanya, Sam Graham, Callum Hunter-Hill, Josh Kemeny, Burger Odendaal, Toby Thame and Robbie Smith all remain sidelined due to injury.

Tommy Freeman is rested after starting all four of England’s Autumn Nations Series matches.

For Gloucester, the experienced Val Rapava-Ruskin and Jack Singleton start in the front row alongside rising star Afo Fasogbon.

Behind them, Arthur Clark and recently capped Welsh international Freddie Thomas form the second-row partnership.

Jack Clement, fresh from making his 100th club appearance against Exeter last week, starts in the back row alongside Zach Mercer and skipper Lewis Ludlow.

Caolan Englefield retains his spot at scrum-half, with Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe starting outside him.

Seb Atkinson and Max Llewellyn form the midfield duo.

Ollie Thorley and Christian Wade flank Argentine Santi Carreras in the back field.

Saints: Furbank (c); Hendy, Litchfield, Hutchinson, Sleightholme; F Smith, James; West, C Langdon, Davison; Munga, Coles; Scott-Young, Pearson, Augustus.

Replacements: Wright, Iyogun, Green, Lockett, Pollock, Mitchell, Dingwall, James Ramm.

Gloucester: Carreras; Wade, Llewelyn, S Atkinson, Thorley; Anscombe, Englefield; Rapava-Ruskin, Singleton, Fasogbon; Clark, Thomas; Clement, Ludlow (c), Mercer.

Replacements: Blake, Knight, Gotovtsev, Alemanno, Ackermann, Chapman, Harris, Hathaway.