Saints, like Leicester, swap domestic travails for European competition, though Exeter will be daunting opponents
Chris Boyd described last weekend’s east Midlands derby at Welford Road as the dance of the desperate, one of the English game’s traditional big fixtures, featuring two clubs more used to challenging for the title than lurking in the Premiership’s basement reduced to little relevance beyond local bragging rights.
Northampton and Leicester on Sunday swap their league labours for Europe. The Saints face the last waltz at Exeter in the Champions Cup quarter-final while the Tigers will be looking to emulate their
Premier League neighbours on the other side of Aylestone Road and foxtrot their way to victory over Castres in the last eight of the Challenge Cup at Welford Road.