There is nothing better than an East Midlands derby to increase the temperature on an Easter weekend. And though there will be no league points at stake on Saturday afternoon when the Saints U19s face Leicester U19s on the Franklin’s Gardens main pitch, local pride will be up for grabs.
Nick Greenhalgh will be following in his father's footsteps on Saturday at Franklin's Gardens
Both the Saints and Leicester academies have been working hard this season, and this is starting to pay off with players from both clubs representing England in the IRB Under-19 World Championship in Northern Ireland at the moment.
Tigers’ second row Gregor Gillanders and Saints David Smith and Danny Pointon are all in the match-day squad to play Samoa this evening, and Northampton Senior Academy winger John Brake is also on representative duty with England’s Sevens squad in Adelaide.
Nevertheless the hard graft continues at club level and the Saints’ Academy coaches are viewing Saturday’s derby as a vital stage in their charges’ development into future Saintsmen.
“As a coaching team we’re delighted with the way the lads are progressing,” says Academy coach Grant Seely. “Both individually and as a team. We’ve had a promising set of performances and results this season and everyone’s looking forward to taking to the main pitch on Saturday.”
The Junior Saints Academy has played several times this season, including on the Franklin’s Gardens training pitch. But this will be the first time many of the players will have experienced the full Franklin’s Gardens treatment.
“I hope that for many of the lads it will be the first of many times they will appear at Franklin’s Gardens,” says Seely. “And we’re looking forward to seeing as many fans there as possible, especially if they can’t make the trip to Newcastle.”
"I'm looking forward to my first start at Franklin's Gardens," says Academy hooker Joe Grey, who is sponsored by the Chris Kokta Memorial Trust. "I got a few minutes on Monday night for the Wanderers which was amazing, but running out in the starting line-up will be even more so."
Grey will be making his first start in 13 months following a knee reconstruction, and he's full of praise for the Academy staff who have got him back on the paddock.
"They've been amazing through the year and really patient!" he says. "And they kept faith with me when some clubs maybe wouldn't have. The physios and conditioning staff have been good as well and I'm looking forward to repaying back their hard work."
Saturday’s match kicks off at 2pm with free entry for all season ticket holders and under-16s. Entry will cost £2 for all other spectators. Bars will be open at the ground.
The Saints ticket office will also be open between 9am and 5pm on Saturday for season ticket holders to buy their tickets for the Heineken Cup semi-final.
