Chris Ashton is back for Northampton © Getty Images

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Matches: Northampton Saints 14 - 9 Wasps

Players/Officials: Chris Ashton | Ben Foden

Tournaments/Tours: Guinness Premiership

Teams: England | Northampton Saints | Wasps

Northampton Saints won the season's first silverware last weekend by defeating Gloucester to claim the Anglo-Welsh Cup, but Jim Mallinder's men have had to quickly re-focus on the Guinness Premiership run-in and a vital meeting with Wasps.

The Saints are two points behind leaders Leicester with a game in hand and cannot afford to drop the ball heading towards the play-offs. Wasps have been in mixed form of late and have struggled away from home, losing to lowly Sale and Leeds, and will face a stern test in front of a sold-out Franklin's Gardens.

Mallinder has wasted no time in drafting Ben Foden and Chris Ashton back into the starting line-up following their exertions with England in Paris last weekend. The pair start in the back-three, with Foden's return meaning that Shane Geraghty can revert to fly-half alongside Lee Dickson.

Brian Mujati has retained the No.3 jersey as Scotland's Euan Murray takes a place on the replacements bench. Alongside Mujati is another England recall in skipper Dylan Hartley while Soane Tonga'uiha is in fine form at loose-head and scored one of three tries in last weekend's final.

Wasps have been boosted by the return of club captain Tom Rees. The openside will be making his first start of the season after shoulder surgery and is joined in the back-row by Joe Worsley, who returns from international duty. Dan Ward-Smith shifts into the second-row as cover for the injured Simon Shaw.

Danny Cipriani reclaims the No.10 jersey from Dave Walder and is partnered at halfback by the fit-again Joe Simpson.

"We've got a hard few weeks in front of us, starting on Saturday," Mallinder said. "Wasps are a tough side. They will have a few players back from international duty and from injury and they know how to win games at this stage of the season, when they always seem to be there or thereabouts in the push for the play-offs.

"It is a big game, which we are having every week now. But this is where you want to be as a player or as a coach. We've won a competition and are competing in another two, but success only comes one game at a time."

Northampton: Ben Foden; Chris Ashton, Jon Clarke, James Downey, Bruce Reihana; Shane Geraghty, Lee Dickson; Soane Tonga'uiha, Dylan Hartley (capt), Brian Mujati, Courtney Lawes, Juandre Kruger, Mark Easter, Neil Best, Roger Wilson

Replacements: Andy Long, Regardt Dreyer, Euan Murray, James Cannon, Mark Hopley, Alan Dickens, Stephen Myler, Joe Ansbro

Wasps: Mark Van Gisbergen; Paul Sackey, Dom Waldouck, Steve Kefu, Tom Varndell; Danny Cipriani, Joe Simpson; Tim Payne, Rob Webber, Zak Taulafo, Dan Ward-Smith, George Skivington, Joe Worsley, Tom Rees (capt), John Hart

Replacements: Tom Lindsay, Ben Broster, Bob Baker, Dan Leo, Serge Betsen, Dave Walder 22 Ben Jacobs 23 David Lemi