Jim Mallinder pleased with squad depth

Northampton Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder has admitted that he is pleased with the depth of his squad after they got their Aviva Premiership campaign off to a winning start at the weekend.

The Saints, who signed George North, Alex Corbisiero and Kahn Fotuali'i over the summer, earned a bonus-point victory over Exeter Chiefs on Saturday.

"We've talked for a long time about having a squad that is strong enough to go and challenge for top honours," Mallinder told BBC Sport.

"We've been developing that, particularly in the forwards, and we've got a lot of talented players. We need to keep them all hungry."

Northampton continue their campaign on Friday when they face Harlequins at Twickenham Stoop.