Wasp Cannon keen to shoot down former Saints team-mates

Cannon is now a Wasps player and is preparing for one of his team’s biggest games of the season when Northampton go to Adams Park on March 23.

The two teams will lock horns knowing the winner will put themselves in the ascendancy as the battle for a place in the Aviva Premiership top four hots up.

And Cannon, who made 20 appearances in the green, black and gold and is the son of legendary Saint Vince Cannon, can’t wait to come up against some of his former team-mates.

“They are the side that I watched and supported growing up and I still keep a look out for their results and support the boys I know there,” he told the Wasps website.

“I spent three years in the Academy before getting a contract at Wasps and there were guys alongside me like Alex Waller, Mike Haywood and Jamie Elliot who are all doing really well in their first team now, which is fantastic.

“My family come and watch me play often and despite dad’s links with Northampton, they will definitely be cheering for Wasps next week. When you’re playing professional sport it’s easy to put the past behind you.”

“My dad played a lot an awful lot of games in his career and his body is showing a bit of wear and tear now as a result!

“Because we play the same position he does like to give me a lot of tips - some are more relevant than others - but he is a supportive father at the end of the day and he’s right behind me.”

Saints will go into the game on the back of three successive league wins, which have catapulted them up to fourth in the Premiership standings.

In contrast, Wasps have lost their past two league games, slipping to sixth, and they were soundly beaten in their last meeting with Saints in September, losing 24-6 at Franklin’s Gardens.

“It’s a cliché but there are no easy games and one loss can move you quite a way down the table, so every game is massive starting with Northampton,” said Cannon.

“They are a very good team. If you look over the last few seasons they are always there or thereabouts and they have a good settled squad.

“We are playing better this year than we have for a while so hopefully now they will get more of a battle from us than they’ve had in recent years because we haven’t beaten them in quite a while.”