McCall 'can't wait' for European return

Director of Rugby Mark McCall spoke to the press this week ahead of the return to Heineken Champions Cup action, and he admitted he cannot wait to get back in to European rugby.

McCall, who has guided Saracens to European titles in 2016, 2017 and 2019 will be looking to emulate that success once again this season.

The Men in Black welcome Edinburgh Rugby to StoneX on Sunday for the opener, and the DOR is expecting a fierce battle with the Scottish outfit.

“Edinburgh are a very good side with a lot of good players and Scotland internationals. They are well coached by Mike Blair and we’ve seen them make big progress so we’re in for a tough game.”

The last time Sarries hosted a pool match in the Heineken Champions Cup was in January 2020 when they beat Racing 92 27-24 in a thriller at StoneX Stadium, and McCall says the wait has added to the excitement.

“This is our first pool match for 35 months which was a couple of days after our relegation so we’re very grateful to be back.

It’s a new competition for us, we haven’t played in this format so we’re looking forward to getting stuck in to it.

It’s a magnificent competition. We have watched with envy but it’s a new journey for us with a different team and it’s very exciting.”

The addition of the South African teams will add a new dimension to the Champions Cup this season, and it is another reason for fans to look forward to the start of the competition.

“All of the teams are very strong and I’m sure they’ll drive the quality of the competition. If you look across the fixtures this weekend they are mouthwatering and whoever wins this competition is going to have to be a very good side.

It’s very unforgiving this tournament. Especially with this format you have to get up and running from the get go, there’s no time to waste.”

Finally, McCall confirmed that fans can expect to see the international stars in action when Edinburgh come to town.

“They’re all fine, they had a week off last week which was important for them to freshen up and they’re all happy to be back.”

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