Rugby round-up: Lawes set to start for Saints

The England lock Courtney Lawes is due to start for Northampton at Exeter today, continuing his comeback from a knee injury. Saints have lost five Premiership matches in a row and are without four other England men – Chris Ashton, Dylan Hartley, Tom Wood and Ben Foden. Their director of rugby, Jim Mallinder, said: "We have performed reasonably well in patches. Now we have to get a positive result."

Leeds, 11 points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership, are at home to London Irish this afternoon. In the other game, Wasps play Sale at Adams Park.

In the Magners League, the Ospreys scored five tries in beating Glasgow 37-6 in Swansea and Munster scored another five in a 38-17 victory over the Newport Gwent Dragons in Cork.

One of Argentina's star players, Juan Martin Hernandez, is a doubt for the Rugby World Cup, in which his side will be England's opening pool opponents, after suffering suspected ligament damage to his right knee playing for his French club Racing Métro in a league match at Bourgoin. The 28-year-old has been plagued by injuries since the last World Cup.