A second Derby Day of the 24/25 season sees Leicester Tigers travel to Northampton for a clash with Loughborough Lightning.
Having triumphed in September's PWR Up clash at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens, both teams enter Saturday's Premiership Women's Rugby fixture recognising the intensity such a fixture brings.
Everyone recognises the difference with a derby fixture; the physicality, that spice, the extra noise from supporters. That kind of challenge really excites us," Tom Hudson said in previewing the trip to the home of Northampton Saints.
Hudson welcomes back a quartet of stars to his starting XV, including first starts of the season for Tahlia Brody and Meg Jones, while summer signing Abbey Constable is included for her debut start at prop.
In the back row, Roisin McBrien also returns from injury and will captain the side as she did in the win against Lightning earlier this season.
There's potential for a couple of reunions in the front row, as former Tigers hooker Elis Martin will battle against former Lightning prop Leah Bartlett.
Saturday's match will also see a battle of the 7s threats as Jones, whose last start in a rugby match came in Paris at this summer's Olympic Games, battles Canadian 7s star, and Olympic Silver Medallist, Krissy Scurfield.
"We're happy to welcome back a number of key players to the team," Hudson said.
"The whole squad has continued to work immensely hard in these two weeks, ready to attack this fixture. Lightning have a number of threats on both sides of the ball.
"Obviously we recognise the strengths of Elis from her time at Tigers, she's a strong set piece threat, and they have got a number of great distributors in Helen Nelson, Helena Rowland and Emily Scarratt, while the pace out wide is something we are aware of heading into the game."
In attack, Lightning have conceded the fewest turnovers (72) of any side so far this season and just shy of 60% of their touches have been passes (the second-most in the league) demonstrating their desire to ship the ball rapidly.
Tigers, meanwhile, possess their own threats either side of the ball; Charlotte Fray's nine dominant tackles are more than any other player in Premiership Women's Rugby so far this season and have the highest rate of carry dominance (27.2%) as well as averaging the most post-contact metres per carry in the 24/25 campaign to date with 1.3.
Leicester Tigers will return home on Saturday, December 7 when Saracens are welcomed to Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
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