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Hendy starts after match-winning heroics as Saints change 3 for QF
By Josh Raisey
Northampton Saints' 21-year-old winger George Hendy is set to start in the Investec Champions Cup quarter-final against the Bulls after his heroics against Munster last week.
Hendy scored two tries after coming on from the bench last week, including one epic solo effort, to seal the win for the Gallagher Premiership leaders in the round of 16, and has been promoted to the starting XV by director of rugby Phil Dowson for the clash at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday.
He will take the No14 shirt from England wing Tommy Freeman, who will shift in-field to outside centre, with Fraser Dingwall moving to inside centre to cover for the unavailable Burger Odendaal.
The only other change in the backline will see England scrum-half Alex Mitchell start this week with Tom James dropping to the bench.
Dowson has made one change in the pack, with England flanker Lewis Ludlam and No8 Juarno Augustus swapping places.
Ludlam will join fellow England international George Furbank on the bench, who is in line to make his first appearance since injuring himself in the final match of the Guinness Six Nations against France in March.
This could be Ludlam's last ever European game for Northampton should they lose, with a move to Toulon agreed for next season.
Courtney Lawes finds himself in the same position as Ludlam, although their chances of progressing were boosted significantly after the Bulls made 13 changes from the team that beat Lyon 59-19 last week, resting almost all of their frontline players.
Northampton Saints XV
15 James Ramm
14 George Hendy
13 Tommy Freeman
12 Fraser Dingwall
11 Ollie Sleightholme
10 Fin Smith
9 Alex Mitchell
1 Emmanuel Iyogun
2 Curtis Langdon
3 Trevor Davison
4 Alex Moon
5 Alex Coles
6 Courtney Lawes (c)
7 Sam Graham
8 Juarno Augustus
Replacements
16 Sam Matavesi
17 Alex Waller
18 Paul Hill
19 Temo Mayanavanua
20 Angus Scott-Young
21 Lewis Ludlam
22 Tom James
23 George Furbank
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Latest Comments
I think this debate is avoiding the elephant in the room. Money. According to the URC chief executive Martin Anayi, the inclusion of SA teams has doubled the income of the URC. There is no doubt that the SA teams benefit from the URC but so do the other countries' teams. Perhaps it doesn't affect a club like Leinster but the less well off clubs benefit hugely from South African games' TV income. I don't think SA continued inclusion in the URC is a slam dunk. They don't hold all the cards by a long way - but they do have an ace in the hole. The Ace of Diamonds.
Go to commentsDon't think you've watched enough. I'll take him over anything I's seen so far. But let's see how the future pans out. I'm quietly confident we have a row of 10's lined uo who would each start in many really good teams.
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