Northampton Saints will look to boost their Premiership play-off prospects when they face struggling Newcastle Falcons on Friday.

In team news for the Falcons, Alex Tait is set to make one last appearance at Kingston Park Stadium as Newcastle play their final home game of the season.

Tait is named among the replacements, with the full-back poised to add to his 269 appearances before retiring at the end of the campaign.

Newcastle make three changes to the side which started at Harlequins last weekend – fit-again Argentina international Matias Orlando starting in the centres with Ben Stevenson ruled out by a head knock.

Logovi’i Mulipola packs down at loosehead prop, with Freddie Lockwood added to the back-row after scoring from the bench last time out. Philip van der Walt and Tom Penny are both on the bench after recovering from hand and ankle injuries respectively.

The Falcons were on the wrong end of a 32-31 thriller when they faced Northampton in league action earlier in the season, with another full-blooded encounter expected.

Two changes from Northampton

Meanwhile, Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson has made two changes to his side which will travel to the Falcons.

The men in Black, Green and Gold will be desperate for a second straight victory after last weekend’s win over Saracens, to keep themselves ahead of London Irish in the race for the Premiership play-offs.

Saints have won just once on the road in the league this term, but have lost only one of their last five fixtures against the Falcons in the Premiership, and beat Newcastle by a single point (32-31) earlier this term on home soil.

Tom Collins comes in to start on the wing for Northampton for the 12th time this season, replacing the injured James Ramm in the back three. George Furbank continues at full-back with Tommy Freeman – who has scored in four of his past five Premiership appearances – selected on the other wing.

Dowson opts for an unchanged midfield pairing for Northampton, with Fraser Dingwall (winner of the Club’s Supporters’ Player of the Season Award on Wednesday evening) and Rory Hutchinson named in the centres, while Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell keep their places in the half-back berths.

There’s just one change in the pack as Paul Hill starts at tighthead prop after coming off the bench last weekend, with hooker Sam Matavesi and loosehead Alex Waller rounding off the front-row.

To the North East ↗️

Here are your Saints to play Newcastle.

🎟️ https://t.co/Ah10HhrMLl pic.twitter.com/tFQ8EL6oA7

— Northampton Saints 😇 (@SaintsRugby) April 20, 2023

The engine room pairing of David Ribbans and Alex Moon continue for the third straight match, and Courtney Lawes and captain Lewis Ludlam join number eight Juarno Augustus in the back-row.

Northampton opt for a 6-2 split amongst the replacements, with the likes of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Angus Scott-Young, and Sam Graham set to bring some ballast off the bench.

Form: Newcastle Falcons’ only victory in their last six Premiership Rugby matches was 17-12 at home to Gloucester on 24 March. The Falcons’ only defeat at Kingston Park in their last five Premiership matches was 19-34 to London Irish in Round 19. Northampton Saints’ last six encounters in the Premiership have all been won by the home side on the day. The Saints have won just once on the road in the league since Round 5, 19-18 at Leicester on 28 January. Northampton have lost only one of their last five fixtures against Newcastle in Premiership Rugby: 10-18 at Kingston Park in May 2021.

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The teams:

Newcastle: 15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Matias Orlando, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Michael Young (c), 8 Callum Chick, 7 Freddie Lockwood, 6 Pedro Rubiolo, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 4 Greg Peterson, 3 Mark Tampin, 2 Jamie Blamire, 1 Logovi’i Mulipola
Replacements: 16 Conrad Cade, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Conor Kenny, 19 Philip van der Walt, 20 Carl Fearns, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Tom Penny, 23 Alex Tait

Northampton: 15 George Furbank, 14 Tom Collins, 13 Fraser Dingwall, 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Lewis Ludlam (c), 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Alex Moon, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Sam Matavesi, 1 Alex Waller
Replacements: 16 Tom Cruse, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Alfie Petch, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Angus Scott-Young, 21 Sam Graham, 22 Tom James, 23 Tom Litchfield

Date: Friday, April 21
Venue: Kingston Park
Kick-off: 19:45 BST (18:45 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant referees: Luke Pearce, Adam Leal
TMO: Stuart Terheege

Troyes have confirmed the signing of Marseille midfielder Saif-Eddine Khaoui on a season long loan.

The French-born Tunisian, who is more of a left midfielder and winger, joined OM in July of 2016 from Tours for just under €1m, but didn’t make the greatest of impressions last season under Rudi Garcia.

The 22-year-old failed to register a single goal or assist in his nine appearances in Ligue 1 for Marseille, operating as a winger on both the left and the right. However, this loan move to Troyes will be the best chance for him get some game time and rediscover the form that saw him join Marseille in the first place.

For Tours, Khaoui scored four and assisted four goals in 45 appearances, adding to his potential as a top winger, but now back in Ligue 1 with Troyes, this could be a very good move for the player.

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T.S.

Arsenal attacker Alexis Sanchez and his agentFernando Felicevich spent yesterday afternoon with PSG Sporting Director Antero Henrique at theRoyal Monceau in the 8th arrondissement in Paris, according toLe Parisien andThe Guardian.

An agreement concerning personal terms can now be described as a matter of when, not if. As reported yesterday, the two principal areas of disagreement between PSG and Sanchez’s camp at the beginning of the week appear to have been resolved.

PSG wanted to sign the player to a long-term contract, Sanchez’s camp only wanted a 3-year deal with Les Parisiens. A 4-year-deal will likely be the compromise that is reached.

Sanchez’s salary demands, €16m net a year, are also very elevated in PSG’s view, but the capital club are still willing to make Alexis one of the club’s current top three earners. The two main sticking points at the beginning of the week have almost entirely been resolved – a contract agreement between PSG & Sanchez in principle appears agreed, the resolution of the final details appears to be imminent.

Les Parisiens’ first offer, either formal or verbal, to Arsenal for Alexis will almost certainly be made next week.Le Parisien report that PSG will open with a bid worth €40m.

The possible signing of Sanchez by PSG will also aid the club in their pursuit of Neymar. The two players have remained good friends since they crossed each other’s paths briefly at Barcelona.

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Rebels and Australia utility back Reece Hodge has sung the praises of up-and-coming fly-half Carter Gordon and believes the 22-year-old can do a job at Test level.

On Sunday, Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones named a 33-man squad for a three-day camp later this month on the Gold Coast.

In fine form

Gordon was one of several uncapped players included in that squad and his selection was a deserved one as he has been arguably the best Australian fly-half in action during the early part of this year’s Super Rugby Pacific campaign.

Hodge said he is delighted to see his Rebels team-mate being rewarded with his Wallabies call up after his fine start to the season.

“I’m really proud of Carter,” Hodge told reporters. “He’s been at the club for a couple years now and to see the strides that he’s made his own game, he’s one of the hardest workers.

“He’s a student of the game and has a really good understanding of the game of where to attack whilst putting his body on the line in defence.

“I think just the intent he has played with both sides of the ball has meant he’s deserved his spot in the squad.

“It’s up to him to continue those performances, keep the consistency up and give them no excuse come Rugby Championship and World Cup time.”

And Hodge is confident the young playmaker can replicate his club form at Test level if given the chance to do so.

“For sure, his performances this year have been awesome,” Hodge said when asked if Gordon can handle a Test call-up.

“He controls the game really well and his option-taking and overall game has been up there with the best playmakers in the competition.

Can make step up to Test level

“If he keeps up that standard of play, the guys around him at the Rebels have massive confidence in the way he’s playing at the moment and there’s no reason why he can’t step to the next level and do the same thing.

“I know he’ll be narrowing his focus to Super Rugby at the moment and will go from there once the next squad is picked.”

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Former England and Newcastle Falcons centre Luther Burrell says he has a “sense of closure” after an independent investigation found he was the victim of racial abuse.

Burrell, who is of Jamaican descent, told the Mail on Sunday last year that he was subjected to comments about slavery, bananas and fried chicken, adding that “racial banter” had become “normalised” among teammates.

The RFU has ruled out taking disciplinary action on those who racially abused Burrell.

‘A tough eight to 10 months’

93 staff members at Newcastle Falcons were interviewed, including players and coaches, after Burrell’s claims.

“Does it provide me with a sense of closure? I believe so, yes,” Burrell told BBC Sport following the conclusion of the investigation.

“It’s been a tough eight to 10 months. I was disappointed initially by the lack of support shown from some of my peers.

“It was as if my comments were being dismissed. It was almost like people needed proof, and now this has come out, people will understand that what I was saying has been deemed to be the truth. 

“And we can all hopefully move on and generate change. I’m proud of what I’ve done, and I’m proud of the support that I’ve had.

“To call anybody a slave is not funny, so it was abhorrent behaviour. It was something that affects my dignity as a player; it affects me as a human and as a father.”

Allegations made are true

Burrell spent two seasons at Newcastle Falcons between 2020 and 2022; shortly afterwards, he made the abuse he faced public.

The investigation concluded that “on the balance of probability, the allegations made in the article are true, but there is insufficient evidence to say whether all the allegations occurred at the club, apart from the WhatsApp message which contained a racist comment”.

In addition, Burrell was subject to a “further two specific incidents of racial abuse – one directed at the player and one witnessed by the player. Therefore, the player was subject to racial abuse verbally and in the WhatsApp group”.

At least two other employees of Newcastle gave evidence in support of Burrell’s allegations.

No disciplinary investigation

While it was recommended that the RFU should consider conducting a disciplinary investigation, it was also acknowledged that this might not help achieve the RFU’s aim of diversifying the game.

All testimonies provided were also all on a confidential basis.

“Individuals who came forward with evidence did so without giving the names of individuals involved, and Luther has been consistent throughout that his aim is not to seek punishment for individuals but rather to bring about change,” an RFU statement read.

“The club, which has co-operated throughout, has made and will continue to implement changes to its policies and procedures based on the recommendations.

“The RFU will also address the wider elements of the inclusion and diversity elite game action plan, all with an aim to drive an inclusive culture and ensure racism has no place in our clubs or our sport.

“Taking all these factors into account, the RFU believes the investigation has fulfilled its objectives and does not intend to pursue a further disciplinary investigation and instead will continue to work with the club to ensure that these processes remain embedded.”

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Ligue 1 side Rennes have submitted a €5m offer to Ludogorets for central midfielder Anicet Abel, according to Foot Mercato.

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The 27-year-old box-to-box midfielder is a Madagascar international who spent his youth football days at Auxerre.

There is ever-increasing optimism at Ligue 1 side Bordeaux that they will have a deal completed for 23-year-old Atletico Paranaense defensive midfielder Otávio by this week.

Sud Ouest report that the player is due in Bordeaux by the end of the week, with Globo Esporte claiming that a €7m transfer is in the final stages of being agreed.

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Leinster head coach Leo Cullen claims the focus from his side is going to be on managing the six-day turnaround for their quarter-final against Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup.

Cullen’s side advanced to the next round after defeating rivals Ulster 30-15 on Saturday at the Aviva Stadium.

It was a brilliant performance by the side that was loaded with international stars fresh off their Grand Slam success in the Six Nations.

Tigers challenge

The Dublin men beat the Tigers in the quarter-finals last season, but Cullen insists that things are different this time around.

“We played against Leicester last season, they’ve a couple of changes in personnel. Obviously, George Ford is gone, Handre Pollard is there, so they’ve a tonne of experience in their team,” Cullen said.

“It’s going to be a great test, isn’t it? A really good test but, again, it’s the occasion. The dynamic of the tournament is very unusual but the occasions are still pretty special.

“Hopefully, it’s a slightly drier day so you can see bit more fluid running rugby from both teams. You see the way England played here a couple of weeks ago, that sort of Steve Borthwick template.”

Recovery is key

The coach thought his side did well and commended the forwards for their effort. However, all focus is on recovery for the clash against the Tigers.

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“I thought the forwards did a good job in terms of laying the platform for the team. That’s on the back of a good week’s work.

“We’re pleased to be through. Ulster put it up to us.

“Just talking to the guys in the dressing room, it’s all about recovery and trying to turn the page quickly.

“It’s a very unusual sort of dynamic, isn’t it? In the past, you’d have a couple of weeks’ lead-in into this game. Now it’s a six-day turnaround.”

Meanwhile, Ulster head coach Dan McFarland gave full credit to Leinster for an impressive win but was still proud of how his side approached the game.

“Leinster were certainly the better team today,” he said. “I was proud of the effort that our guys put in. I was proud of the way we approached the game physically.

“I think some of the bits and pieces around our discipline, potentially in the aerial and territory game, we didn’t match up to them so fair play to them – good win.”

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Chiefs flyer Emoni Narawa caught the eye with an outstanding finish in his side’s 20-13 triumph over the Blues in their Super Rugby Pacific derby in Hamilton on Saturday.

Narawa, who used to ply his trade at the Blues, made an immediate impact when he gathered a grubber kick from Damian McKenzie just 26 seconds into the match, and despite being close to the touchline, he managed to stay inside the field of play before diving over the whitewash in acrobatic fashion.

McKenzie held his nerve to slot the difficult conversion from close to the touchline, which meant the home side were leading 7-0 as early as the second minute.

⚫️ The Chiefs make a sensational start in Hamilton against the Blues! Emoni Narawa rounds off in style after just 26 seconds! #SuperRugbyPacific #CHIvBLU pic.twitter.com/WYCNfsIapW

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) April 1, 2023

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It did not take long for the Blues to respond, and in the ninth minute, they narrowed the gap to two points when Ricky Riccitteli managed to drive over the try-line from close quarters, although Beauden Barrett was off target with the conversion attempt.

McKenzie extended his side’s lead when he landed a penalty in the 12th minute, but the Blues did not panic and drew level five minutes later when Caleb Clarke scored their second try.

Momentum between these sides continued to ebb and flow, and in the 26th minute, Narawa scored his second converted try, which gave the Chiefs a 17-10 lead at half-time.

The second half was a much tighter affair as the teams cancelled each other out with solid defensive efforts. The Chiefs went further ahead in the 46th minute when McKenzie kicked his second penalty before Barrett also succeeded with a three-pointer off the kicking tee five minutes later.

The rest of the match was an arm wrestle as both teams battled to gain the ascendancy, but neither team managed to score points which meant the Chiefs clinched their sixth successive Super Rugby Pacific win, which consolidates their position at the top of the table.

Video credit: Super Rugby Pacific

It is rare that a fixture at the Stade de Roudourou captures the world’s imagination. Yet, on Sunday, in this unimposing corner of north-western France, the eyes and ears of football fans from across the globe will be transfixed on Guingamp’s home turf, awaiting the first glimpse of a Brazilian forward, on whom a Parisian club have spent more money than six countries have GDP.

The game is one of the most hotly anticipated fixtures in Ligue 1 history, all because of one player and one transfer saga. Seeing Neymar in the blue of Paris Saint-Germain will make what was thought to be impossible, a reality. But there is a little history that adds more weight to this Sunday’s story than would first meet the eye. Guingamp coach Antoine Kombouaré, for one, was the manager jilted by PSG’s new Qatari owners in 2011, a victim of their pursuit of a coach with a ‘bigger name’.

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Neymar’s debut presents the intriguing prospect of Kombouaré standing in opposition to his former employers as they try to showcase their latest, multi-million-euro, ‘big name’. Moreover, there is also the small matter of the last time a world-famous Brazilian in the colours of PSG strutted his stuff on the Guingampais surface back in 2003. That day, a certain Ronaldinho netted one of the most stunning individual goals in French football history. No pressure, then.

This weekend’s game has been set up to be all about Neymar. Guingamp themselves have been overlooked as an opposition. Indeed, their only mention has been to highlight the fact that the new multi-millionaire Prince of Paris will be travelling to a rural, allegedly ‘back-of-beyond’ club whose nickname is ‘The Farmers’.

This, for some, has served to reinforce the preconception that Neymar is moving only for the money, to take a lucrative contract and sacrifice playing at a ‘higher’ level. It is a far cry from the glamour of La Liga, it has been said, and thus his debut at Le Roudourou shows the transfer for what it really is; a financial investment in every sense. Ligue 1, they say, is a step-down.

There can be no denying that this weekend’s clash fits the overused metaphor of David versus Goliath. To sum it up succinctly, Neymar’s expected wage at PSG is thought to be around £537,000 per week, according to the Press Association. En Avant de Guingamp’s average annual player wage, in 2016, according to the Global Sports Salaries Survey, was £293,650, which is equal to £5,647 per week.

In terms of financial disparity, we could go on. Guingamp’s wage budget is about 13 times smaller than that of PSG. It is a similar story for another half dozen Ligue 1 sides. But beyond finances, the fixture still screams of the Great versus the Insignificant. EAG’s home, Le Stade de Roudourou, has a capacity of 18,250. The population of Guingamp itself is only 7,000.

Guingamp are small outfit. They have spent a good part of their history in the third tier and amateur football, only achieving promotion to Ligue 1 in 1995, 11 years after turning professional for the first time. They do however have trophies in the cabinet; two Coupe de Frances, both won against rivals Rennes, in 2009 and 2014. Some famous alumni may also be familiar to the English audience; Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and Laurent Koscielny have all donned the red and black of EAG in recent years. Yet, in all regards, it seems, Guingamp pale in comparison to PSG.

But, despite the assumptions and the realities of their club sizes, there is one regard in which the two do not differ so widely. That is on the pitch itself. To assume that Guingamp will simply roll over on Sunday is a wildly uninformed assumption. There will be no welcoming party for Neymar, nor will there be a procession for the capital club.

Le Stade de Roudourou is certainly not a happy hunting ground for visiting sides. Paris Saint-Germain are no exception; they have only won once here in their last five visits in all competitions. Last season, Guingamp lost just four times at home, achieving the fifth best home record in the division.

It was their away form that proved their Achilles Heel last term, hindering their early season assault on the league’s European spots, falling away to finish 10th. That said, it was still the third highest league finish in the club’s history. Coach Antoine Kombouaré won a lot of plaudits for the way his side played, with fast counter-attacking football, which stunningly undid PSG in a famous victory last December.

And it appears that more of the same is in the offing this time round. A 3-1 win against Metz on the opening day of the new campaign put to bed the away-form hoodoo that had been lingering over the club since their last victory on the road, which came at Lyon, back in October of last year. Their counter-attacking flair was very much on show too, typified by their second goal and what would be later awarded goal of the weekend, scored by academy product Ludovic Blas. He finished off a sweeping move that saw the Farmers move the ball from the edge of their own penalty area to the back of the Metz net in under 15 seconds.

Guingamp have had a good transfer window so far, retaining their most important assets. Jimmy Briand, their standout name and club captain, extended his contract by two years earlier this summer, whilst coveted forward Yannis Salibur, remains, for now, an EAG player.

Above all, despite interest from Saint-Étienne following the departure of Christophe Galtier, the continued appearance of Antoine Kombouaré in the Guingampais dugout is perhaps the club’s biggest success this summer, especially considering that for many, a few losses in personnel, including the manager, could well have seen the club tumble down the table. Instead, there have been a number of positive new additions, including Lebogang Phiri, Marcus Thuram and Razza Camara, who have all slotted seamlessly into place at Le Roudourou.

Neymar’s arrival, as Adam White has written for Get French Football News, is fantastic for Ligue 1. It will raise the profile of the French game and bring it entirely new audiences. For En Avant de Guingamp, as the first hosts of PSG’s superstar investment, this is not only a great opportunity to introduce themselves to the world, but to also help dispel many of the preconceptions surrounding the smaller, less well-known sides in the division.

There can be no denying that Neymar taking to the field at Guingamp does have more than a little poignancy to it. It is David against Goliath, it is a clash between a remote, rural side and the glamour and prowess of the capital outfit, and it is a clash between a bottomless pit of cash and tightly held purse-strings. But it is also a clash between two very good football sides.

Despite all that may be assumed about the Farmers from Brittany, and despite the main draw for the occasion being one player wearing number 10 for PSG, rest-assured, there will be no red carpet for Neymar on Sunday night.

P.R.