Saints centre Litchfield 'itching to get back out on the pitch' as he returns

Litchfield has not played since suffering a hamstring injury in the Gallagher PREM defeat at Bristol Bears back in November.

But he is now fit again and will start at outside centre as Saints look to add more points to their PREM Rugby Cup tally at the Twickenham Stoop.

“My rehab has gone very smoothly, I had no issues,” Litchfield said.

“I’ve been itching to get back out on the pitch with the group.

"I’m looking forward to Friday night and getting a run of games. It’s going to be good.

“I’m looking forward to ripping in and hopefully can find some form again.”

Saints return to cup action with a trip to the Twickenham Stoop, following a bye weekend in Round 7.

The black, green and gold currently sit third in Pool B, 10 points above Quins.

And Litchfield feels the squad have taken huge confidence from their latest victory in the tournament, which saw them emerge 40-22 victors against Leicester Tigers.

“We’ve taken massive confidence from that big win in a derby at home in front of a packed-out cinch Stadium,” Litchfield said.

“Going away from home, we want to be confident and have that sort of form, that’s massive for us going into this game.

“Harlequins move the ball well, and obviously, they haven’t had as good a season as they may have wanted so far, so they’ll be looking at this competition to get some form.

“We’ll be expecting a big challenge, against a team that likes to move the ball as we do, it’ll be a good game, and hopefully we can come out with a good performance.”

With many Saints stars currently on international duties, this PREM Rugby Cup block provides an opportunity for some less familiar faces to pull on the famous jersey.

And Litchfield said: “It’s interesting in the PREM Cup when you get a mix of experience and youngsters.

“So, for the guys who’ve played a bit more and have been here a little longer, it’s about us encouraging the younger lads to show what they can do and just be confident out there, and hopefully we can put together a good team performance.

“This competition is massive to get lads who don’t usually get the opportunity in the PREM to put the Saints shirt on and show what they can do.

“You’ll see so many lads playing for England this weekend who have come through playing the PREM Cup, it’s massively important for us for player development.”