Saints stalwart Diggin set for Moseley loan switch

Diggin played 40 minutes for the Wanderers at Saracens on Monday afternoon, his first action since the Premiership semi-final defeat to Harlequins last May.

But, with two games of the regular league season remaining, it appears he is not yet ready to be thrown into the hustle and bustle of top-flight action.

And Saints boss Jim Mallinder is ready to loan the 28-year-old winger to Moseley for their home game against Bedford Blues this Saturday so he can get some minutes under his belt.

“Paul’s leaving it late,” said the director of rugby.

“It’s all now about getting some proper match fitness in now.

“He’s done all the running, he’s done all the training, now he needs some matches to get match fit.

“If you had a chat with him after the game on Monday, he only played 40 minutes but he was absolutely shattered and aching all over, so he needs a few more games.

“We don’t have any more Wanderers games now so we’ll look at getting him out on loan to play those.”

Playing for another club would be an alien experience for Diggin, who grew up in Northampton and has come through the Franklin’s Gardens youth system.

And Mallinder says the wing, who has made 79 appearances during nine years at Saints, is a great example to his younger players.

“What you want in a club is players who come through the system,” he said.

“Paul’s played for a junior club in the town, he’s a local lad, he loves the town, he loves the club and he loves the supporters.

“He’s the type of player we want here. We want as many of those as we possibly can and then we want to top that up with top quality players from either England or abroad.”