Training 'very disrupted' but Dowson backs Saints' England stars to 'slot back in'

But the director of rugby is confident his international stars will be able to slot back in seamlessly ahead of Saturday's huge derby-day clash with Leicester Tigers.

Seven Saints players spent Monday to Wednesday with England, who are preparing for the upcoming Autumn Nations Series.

That meant the build-up to the big game at Mattioli Woods Welford Road took an unusual twist.

And Dowson said: "It's very disrupted in terms of how much time you get on the field and how much time you get to prepare so we've had to make sure the time we've had is really well used.

"We've had to make sure we've got the right understanding of how to get our game on the pitch and what the threats are from Leicester.

"We're making sure we make the most of every minute we have.

"It has been disrupted but we understand the challenge ahead and we'll prepare for that."

So how much training can Saints' England players do with their club before the Gallagher Premiership trip to Tigers?

"They trained pretty hard with England on Tuesday and Wednesday, and they can't train every day of the week because from a fatigue point of view and an injury risk point of view that causes an issue," Dowson explained.

"It will be very limited in terms of training time and contact but we've got a critical mass of experience within that group and we know they'll slot back in and be ready to go on Saturday."

Alex Coles was due to link up with England to train this week but was unable to do so after suffering a rib injury that forced him off after just 10 minutes in the win against Harlequins last Friday.

When asked how Coles is progressing, Dowson said: "He's okay.

"He had a bang on his ribs.

"With those sorts of injuries it's just about managing the pain and getting him back moving."

Saints also saw Tom James forced off last Friday as he had to go for a head injury assessment.

"He's okay," Dowson said at Wednesday's media session.

"He's going through the return-to-play protocol."