Dowson promises derby fight despite Sleightholme setback

Ollie Sleightholme has made 10 appearances for Northampton this season

Director of rugby Phil Dowson has promised Northampton Saints will "come out swinging" in Friday's East Midlands derby against Leicester despite disappointing injury news about Ollie Sleightholme.

The England wing suffered an ankle injury in training ahead of last Saturday's Six Nations game against Wales.

He is unlikely to play again this season but posted a photograph of himelf in a hospital bed on Instagram with the words: "Back soon".

Dowson told BBC Radio Northampton the 24-year-old had undergone a minor operation and "would be out for a period of time".

Saints had six players in Steve Borthwick's original Six Nations squad and Henry Pollock and Curtis Langdon were later added as cover.

Dowson said the club were proud to have so many players involved with England but he now faced a balancing act in terms of team selection for their fortchoming games.

Saints - who will be without suspended prop Iakopo Mapu - won their first league title for a decade by beating Bath in last season's Premiership final.

But they are eighth in the table and nine points adrift of fourth-placed Tigers in the race for the end-of-season play-offs.

Following the derby, Saints face Sale on 28 March before their European Champions Cup last 16 tie against Clermont on 4 April.

"It's mandatory that those players who were involved in all the Six Nations games have a week's rest, which I think is a positive thing," Dowson added.

"We've just got to balance that up with who misses what and the strength of the squad going into those three games."

Northampton lost 24-8 when they took on Leicester at Welford Road in October, although they did beat them 31-12 in a home Premiership Rugby Cup game the following month.

And Dowson believes it will be good for his players to have such a high-profile fixture in front of them, having not played since the start of the month.

"I think that does help players to step up but the group we have know they are going to be managed and if they are flagging, they can communicate with the coaching group and medical staff and make sure we look after them," he added.

"At the same time, we've got a derby game on Friday night and we've got to get a performance as well. We're right on the edge and we need to make sure we push on. We haven't got many chances left this season and we want to put our best foot forward.

"There's loads of things we want to achieve in the run-in. It's high pressure, a very good opposition that we've played twice earlier in the season and been on the wrong side of it in a few different aspects. Our backs are against the wall, we've got a point to prove, and no doubt we'll come out swinging."