Wood: Saints are flying ahead of pre-season opener

Wood returned to training three weeks later than many of the Northampton squad as England players were given extra time off to recover from their summer tour of Argentina.

He’s back in the groove now, though, with Saints’ notorious fitness regime preparing the squad for the start of the pre-season campaign, at Bedford on Friday night.

And the former Worcester forward, who captained the Red Rose in South America, feels things are looking good at Franklin’s Gardens.

“There’s loads to look forward to,” he said. “We’ve lost a few stalwarts and our new guys are going to have to bed in and pick up the mantle pretty quickly.

“There will be some changes, particularly at scrum time, which will be a challenge, but everyone’s flying in pre-season.

“I’ve come back and everyone’s in good shape, the staff have put a great programme together, very individual and it’s a structure everyone’s really bought into.

“I’m pleased with the way everyone’s flying, but I’m struggling to keep up a bit so I’ll have to battle hard and get back in the mix.”