TEAM NEWS | Northampton Saints v Saracens Men (GPR - Rd 14)

Head Coach Joe Shaw says the focus has been well and truly shifted ahead of Friday’s visit to table-topping Northampton Saints after a successful return to league action at The Showdown.

Sarries moved back in to the top four following their biggest ever win over Harlequins in front of over 61,000 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and now head to Franklin’s Gardens knowing a win could lift them to the top of the league in one of the most important games of the season so far.

The coaches have been boosted by a number of players who have returned from injuries over the Six Nations period, meaning they have a wealth of experience to pick from for the trip up the M1.

Mako Vunipola, Jamie George and Marco Riccioni start in a powerful front-row, with Theo McFarland and Nick Isiekwe offering athletic ability and dynamism in the second-row.

Juan Martin Gonzalez, Andy Christie and Billy Vunipola are all given the nod in the ever-competitive battle for a back-row starting spot.

The backline is unchanged from the eight-try win over Quins last Saturday. Ivan van Zyl and captain Owen Farrell will run the game as half-backs, with Nick Tompkins and Lucio Cinti staying in the midfield.

Alex Lewington starts on the left wing, with Sean Maitland on the right and Elliot Daly will be looking for another impressive display at full-back.

On the bench there is some serious firepower to enter proceedings, with the likes of Theo Dan, Tom Willis, Ben Earl and Alex Goode all adding their quality when called upon.

Shaw says The Showdown has given the squad plenty to build on for the Gallagher Premiership Run-In.

“In the break we were working really hard to try and be more us. That was the most complete 80 minutes we’ve had so far this season but it’s on to the next thing now.

We will look to build on that performance for the rest of the season, we’ll continue to take it a week at a time and all our focus has been on Northampton.”

Saracens Men team to play Northampton Saints:

1 Mako Vunipola

2 Jamie George

3 Marco Riccioni

4 Theo McFarland

5 Nick Isiekwe

6 Juan Martin Gonzalez

7 Andy Christie

8 Billy Vunipola

9 Ivan van Zyl

10 Owen Farrell (c)

11 Alex Lewington

12 Nick Tompkins

13 Lucio Cinti

14 Sean Maitland

15 Elliot Daly

Replacements:

16 Theo Dan

17 Eroni Mawi

18 Christian Judge

19 Hugh Tizard

20 Tom Willis

21 Ben Earl

22 Gareth Simpson

23 Alex Goode