Roger Wilson admits he is not looking forward to squaring up to Saints in next season’s Heineken Cup.
Wilson moved back to Ulster this summer, but he will make a rapid return to Northampton next season after Tuesday’s draw in Dublin placed the two teams together in Pool 4.
The Irish ace enjoyed a successful four-year stay at Saints, winning the European Challenge Cup and LV= Cup and helping the club reach the Heineken Cup final. They also made three successive Premiership play-off semi-finals with Wilson a regular fixture at No.8.
And, while the 30-year-old is looking forward to seeing some familiar faces when he heads back to the Gardens for the European encounter, he knows Ulster will face a stiff test.
“I had a sneaky feeling, especially when I saw the seeding groups that we’d have a great chance of getting Northampton,” said Wilson.
“It’s brilliant. I never thought I’d be back so soon but I’m delighted to get the chance to go back and catch up with everybody.
“From a playing point of view, it’s not ideal because Northampton are a top team.
“I always thought whenever I was playing for Northampton that I wouldn’t really fancy playing against them, with their style of play, their physicality and aggression.
“They’ll always be a tough team to play against and it’s going to be a massive ask to beat them, especially away from home, at Franklin’s Gardens.
“But just with me being over there for the last four years, it’s brilliant.”
Alongside Saints and Ulster in Pool 4 will be Glasgow Warriors and Northampton’s familiar foes, Castres.
And Wilson doesn’t believe his former or his current side have too much to fear from the Scots or the French.
“Castres we’ve played the past couple of years and they are a difficult team to beat down there in France, as are most teams down there, but certainly beatable,” he said. “On their day they’re one of the teams in Europe, when they want to be so you’ve got to be on your money to beat them.
“Glasgow will be tough opposition too but certainly the two favourites in the group will be Ulster and Northampton.”
Wilson’s time at Saints was to end on a low as they surrendered an eight-point lead against Harlequins in the Premiership play-off semi-final.
To add injury to insult, the Belfast-born player picked up a hamstring injury in the defeat at The Stoop, which will rule him out for around 12 weeks.
And Wilson admits the way his stay at Saints ended still rankles.
“The injury aside, it was very disappointing,” said Wilson, who made 117 appearances for Saints, scoring 40 points. “The fact that your season just ends just like that and all of a sudden you go on holiday, with the matches and training taken away from you, gives you a few weeks to reflect on everything.
“It is a massive disappointment, especially when we put ourselves in such a good position to win that game.
“I moved over to Northampton to win a major piece of silverware and it wasn’t to be but there’s no doubt they will in the next couple of years.”