Phil Dowson has named his Northampton Saints side for their clash with Exeter Chiefs on Sunday (11 May, kick-off: 3pm), making 14 changes to the starting XV as the men in Black, Green and Gold return to Gallagher Premiership action.
Saints make the trip South in Round 16 of the league off the back of a spectacular 37-34 victory over Leinster Rugby that saw them reach the Investec Champions Cup Final, coming back into Premiership action to face ninth-place Exeter.
When the sides met at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens earlier this season it was Northampton who ran out 30-24 victors, but Saints will face a stern test on the road as they go in search of their first back-to-back win at Sandy Park since 2021.
Tom Litchfield is Saints’ only surviving member of the starting line-up that faced Leinster, with the 23-year-old swapping the wing for the centres this weekend as he starts in Northampton’s midfield.
Litchfield starts alongside fellow centre Tom Seabrook in Exeter, with a fresh-look back three of Toby Cousins, Will Glister and Jake Garside named to start behind them.
Tom James – who brought up a century of appearances for the Club in Dublin – shifts to start at fly-half for only the second time in his career in Exeter and is joined by scrum-half Jonny Weimann in Saints’ half-backs for the clash.
Tom Lockett leads the men in Black, Green and Gold for the first time in his Saints career, starting in the back row in Exeter for only the second time in a Northampton shirt.
The stand-in captain is joined there by Gallagher Premiership debutant Fyn Brown and No. 8 Angus Scott-Young – one of only eight Saints to remain from the matchday 23 in Dublin.
Chunya Munga and Ed Prowse – who makes his first Premiership start – partner in Saints’ second row at Sandy Park, while props Tom West and Elliot Millar Mills and hooker Henry Walker start in the front row to complete Northampton’s pack.
Saints opt for a six-two bench in Exeter, with the likes of Craig Wright, Callum Hunter-Hill, Reuben Logan, Rafe Witheat and Ewan Baker set to enter the action at Sandy Park.
EXETER CHIEFS vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
Gallagher Premiership, Round 16
Sunday 11 May, 2025
Sandy Park
Kick-off: 3pm
15 Jake Garside
14 Toby Cousins – Gallagher Premiership debut
13 Tom Seabrook
12 Tom Litchfield
11 Will Glister
10 Tom James
9 Jonny Weimann
1 Tom West
2 Henry Walker
3 Elliot Millar Mills
4 Ed Prowse
5 Chunya Munga
6 Tom Lockett (c)
7 Fyn Brown – Gallagher Premiership debut
8 Angus Scott-Young
Replacements:
16 Craig Wright
17 Tarek Haffar
18 Luke Green
19 Callum Hunter-Hill
20 Reuben Logan – Gallagher Premiership debut
21 Archie Benson – Gallagher Premiership debut
22 Rafe Witheat – Gallagher Premiership debut
23 Ewan Baker – Gallagher Premiership debut
Not available for selection:
George Furbank, Sam Graham, George Hendy, George Makepeace-Cubitt, Iakopo Mapu, Archie McParland, Burger Odendaal, Tom Pearson, Toby Thame, Charlie Savala, Ollie Sleightholme, and Robbie Smith.
EXETER TEAM TO FACE SAINTS:
15 Josh Hodge, 14 Nick Lilley, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Will Rigg, 11 Paul Brown-Bampoe, 10 Harvey Skinner, 9 Stu Townsend; 1 Scott Sio, 2 Jack Yeandle, 3 Marcus Street, 4 Rusi Tuima, 5 Dafydd Jenkins (c), 6 Jacques Vermeulen, 7 Richard Capstick, 8 Ethan Roots.
Replacements: 16 Dan Frost, 17 Kwenzo Blose, 18 Josh Iosefa-Scott, 19 Christ Tshiunza, 20 Martin Moloney, 21 Tom Cairns, 22 Will Haydon-Wood, 23 Tamati Tua.
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant referees: George Selwood and Jamie Leahy
TMO: Andrew Jackson
No. 4: James Clarke
