Dowson ponders selection options for Prem return

Fin Smith could be named in the Northampton team against Bristol if fit

Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson faces some tricky selection decisions as they return to Prem Rugby action following the autumn internationals series.

Saints are away to Bristol Bears on Saturday, their first league game since a 43-31 win over Saracens on 24 October, and they will be looking to extend their unbeaten start to the campaign.

It will then be followed by their first two matches in this season's European Champions Cup, away to Pau and at home to Pretoria Bulls.

England trio Alex Mitchell, Alex Coles and Henry Pollock featured in all four autumn internationals so have to miss one of those next three games, unless Northampton apply to the Rugby Football Union for special dispensation.

It would not apply, however, to fly-half Fin Smith and centre Fraser Dingwall, who were not involved across the full schedule.

Wing Tommy Freeman, meanwhile, is still receiving treatment for a hamstring injury which cut short his involvement for England and the availability criteria does not apply to Scotland's Rory Hutchinson.

While that group were away on international duty, Saints beat Harlequins in the Prem Rugby Cup but then lost to Newcastle Red Bulls and Leicester Tigers.

"In the PRC we give players an opportunity, we put them under pressure and they find out about themselves. We're going to squeeze everything out of that game [against Leicester] in terms of our review," Dowson told BBC Radio Northampton.

"Let's make sure that when we go into the Bristol game, we're humming and getting stuck in.

"[But] we have to take into account the headspace of those lads who have come out of the England camp and where they're at, and what gets the best out of them over the next three months as opposed to the next three weeks."

One piece of good news for Saints has been the involvement for the first time this season of full-back George Furbank in two of their PRC games following a calf injury.

"Trusting your body again after being out for so long is a tough thing mentally to do, but it's just nice to be back out there," he said.

"We're back into the Premiership and Europe now. We're in a good spot in the Premiership and we want to start Europe well.

"We've won away there (in Bristol) in a long time, but we've been good away from home this year so we're going to take huge confidence going into that."