Northampton Saints: Mallinder demands everything for big clash with Tigers
Northampton Saints boss Jim Mallinder has called on his players not to hold anything back when they launch into champions Leicester Tigers to kick off the season tomorrow.
Northampton Saints boss Jim Mallinder has called on his players not to hold anything back when they launch into champions Leicester Tigers to kick off the season tomorrow.
A sold-out east midlands derby provides a mouth-watering start to the Aviva Premiership with Saints eager to stamp their title credentials on the season.
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Leicester have perfected the art of peaking for the play-offs and begin their search for a third successive title.
In contrast Saints are after their first-ever crown and, after finishing second last season, Mallinder's men lost three of their last five games to miss out on a place in the final.
But Mallinder doesn't want his players thinking about peaking at the end of the season. He wants them firing on all cylinders tomorrow – and every week thereafter.
"You do want to peak at the end, but there is no point peaking at the end if you are rubbish at the front and middle," said Mallinder.
"We want our players to be full-on this week, we don't want them to go into this game underprepared or leaving something for the autumn internationals or the European games.
"That is not the way we do it, maybe the Irish sides think differently.
"We don't do that, we want to win this game and we have done everything we can to put out our strongest team and prepared as well as we can for tomorrow.
"We have got to trust the conditioners and performance staff that we can keep that level and hopefully improve as the season progresses, that is going to be the challenge to keep improving right until the end."
Saints have beaten Leicester every time at home since regaining their
Premiership status. But Mallinder is predicting a titanic derby and wants his players to keep their cool.
"It is going to be a cracking game," he added.
"They are going to be very competitive, they are going to be one of the sides to beat this season. We may as well have them first game as any other game.
"The players won't get too hyped up about it being a derby. They know each other, there is a lot of England players who have played together. You can't get too involved in this rivalry, it is a game of rugby.
"We have looked at their strengths and what we perceive as some of their weaknesses and I am sure they have done exactly the same with us, it is going to be one almighty battle."
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Weather for Kettering
Monday 13 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 2 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
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