George North returns but results and impending report may prove too testing for Jim Mallinder's Northampton career

Red cards, concussion and record defeats could cost Mallinder his job

Mallinder has been in charge of Northampton since 2007 (Getty)

Since the turn of the decade, Northampton Saints have carved out a reputation as one of the powerhouses of English rugby, but after a season of on-and-off-the-field troubles, that reputation is no longer.

Six consecutive appearances in the Premiership play-off semi-finals since 2010, including two final appearances and being crowned winners once thrust the club to the forefront of English rugby.

Saints’ success allowed them to draw big name signings and continue to compete at the top of the domestic ladder, despite their lack of wealth in comparison to the likes of Bath, Saracens and Wasps.

But all that has unravelled of late. Missing out on the play-offs by five points last season – only 12 months on from being top of the tree after the regular 22 games – and now languishing in ninth in the table, the club are at a crossroads.

With only one Premiership win since October, Saints have been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The topic of concussion reared its ugly head once more as Wales winger George North was allowed to continue playing by the Northampton medical staff despite seemingly lying unconscious after being tackled in the air. The findings of a report into Saints’ handling of the situation are due on Wednesday even though Jim Mallinder confirmed North would be available to return to the field against Sale Sharks on Friday night.

However, despite proving his fitness in training, the consequences of the RFU’s findings could loom for a lot longer.

“He’s been training,” Mallinder said. “We did give him a bit of time off, but he has been training since last week.

“George went to see the specialist after it happened and it was suggested he had a little bit of time off. “He’s going back this afternoon to see the specialist just to check everything’s okay.”

George North is set to return on Friday (Getty)

Then came England captain Dylan Hartley’s six-minute red card on return to domestic duty.

The Kiwi-born hooker’s forearm into the back of Sean O’Brien’s head in the Champions Cup defeat to Leinster earned him a six-week ban, meaning he will go straight into Six Nations duty with England and Northampton are unlikely to see him on the field again until the end of March at the earliest.

Dylan Hartley was sent-off in Northampton's defeat by Leinster and has been banned for six weeks (Getty)

Red cards and concussions may take the headlines, but the wheels are seemingly coming off for Northampton and, after nearly 10 years at the helm, questions are starting to be asked about Mallinder’s future at Franklin’s Gardens.

A record-defeat in the form of a nine-try humiliation at the hands of Leinster was just the latest indignity the Saints have suffered and there is no sign of any improvement.

It’s been one thing after another for 50-year-old this season, and there is a feeling around the former Premiership champions that the tightrope is getting thinner, and one more thing could see it snap underneath Mallinder’s feet.