Thompson has come in for Dan Richmond and other changes include John Rudd for Sean Lamont and Johnny Howard for Mark Robinson. Rudd will be playing in his last game of his two-year contract with Saints.

Head coach Paul Grayson said: “All season, team selection has been about picking players who have been delivering. I thought Johnny played well when he came on last week. He gave us momentum. Ruddy came on and sparked the revival.”

Saints scored their first try in the 70th minute, according to the countdown clock, and deep into injury-time by the watch. Thompson, Lamont and Ben Cohen’s tries sealed the win and the club’s sixth place in the Guinness Premiership which gave them qualification into next season’s Heineken Cup. (Even if Saints lose on Saturday and seventh place Saracens win with a bonus point, Saints remain in sixth place as they will have won more games than Saracens.)

Grayson continued: “It was a strange day last Sunday. I was utterly disappointed at the way we played until the last nine minutes, and then we got what we went for and qualified for Europe. The coaching part of me was searching for reasons why we underperformed but in terms of the Northampton Saints person inside me, I was so delighted to qualify for Europe.”

Saturday’s game is the last in Saints’ season and Sale Sharks have already secured their home semi-final play-off place, so there is little to play for but Saints want to go out on a high note.

“We want to perform well in front of another sell-out crowd and to finish this season on a high,” said Grayson. “There is no pressure but we still want to perform in a certain way. The enjoyment comes from doing that well.”

Jon Clarke will play in his 50th cap-winning game for Saints on Saturday and is one of three players to have only missed one game all season. Clarke, Bruce Reihana and Damien Browne have all started 30 games in 2005/06.

Clarke said: “We have got to get into the mindset that this is our home ground and we do not want to lose in front of a packed crowd. Sale will be a big challenge. They are the top team this year and to get their scalp at the end of the season would be great.”

15 BRUCE REIHANA (co-capt)
14 John Rudd
13 Jon Clarke
12 DAVID QUINLAN
11 BEN COHEN
10 CARLOS SPENCER
9 Johnny Howard
1 TOM SMITH
2 STEVE THOMPSON (co-capt)
3 Simon Emms
4 DAMIEN BROWNE
5 Matt Lord
6 PAUL TUPAI
7 SAM HARDING
8 Daniel Browne

16 Dan Richmond
17 Brett Sturgess
18 DAVID GERARD
19 Darren Fox
20 MARK ROBINSON
21 Robbie Kydd
22 SEAN LAMONT