TEAM NEWS | Bath Rugby v Saracens Men (GPR - Rd 9)
Director of Rugby Mark McCall knows the size of the task ahead as Saracens Men travel to table-topping Bath Rugby on Saturday lunchtime.
The boss has made seven changes from the side that beat Northampton Saints last weekend. With festive fixtures coming thick and fast for the Men in Black, Saracens head to The Recreation Ground with nine homegrown talents named across the match day squad.
Two changes come in the front row, after being named amongst the replacements last weekend, Phil Brantingham will start against Bath at loosehead. He partners Fraser Balmain and Jamie George in the front row.
In the engine room, captain Maro Itoje is reunited with fellow England international Nick Isiekwe after his brief spell on the sidelines. Theo McFarland is therefore moved from lock to blindside flanker, with Toby Knight returning at openside. Ben Earl moves over to number eight in place of Tom Willis, who misses out with a minor strain.
After some impressive appearances off the bench, Gareth Simpson is rewarded with a start, joining Fergus Burke at half-back.
A double change in the midfield sees Olly Hartley and Alex Lozowski partner for the first time this campaign. Rotimi Segun returns on the left-wing accompanying Tobias Elliot on the right. Liam Williams continues at fullback.
The bench sees Kapeli Pifeleti, Eroni Mawi, Nathan Michelow and Sam Spink all join the match day squad. There’s also space for 19 year-old Angus Hall who made his Gallagher Premiership debut at StoneX against the reigning champions last weekend.
McCall highlighted the importance of the squad effort.
“We are in the middle of a demanding nine game block and have been delighted with the attitude of the entire playing group over the last five weeks. Having some rotation in the squad allows for some important rest for a number of players and crucially opportunities for others who have earned it and will relish the chance to play at the Rec on Saturday.”
Saracens Men team to play Bath Rugby:
1 Phil Brantingham
2 Jamie George
3 Fraser Balmain
4 Maro Itoje (c)
5 Nick Isiekwe
6 Theo McFarland
7 Toby Knight
8 Ben Earl
9 Gareth Simpson
10 Fergus Burke
11 Rotimi Segun
12 Olly Hartley
13 Alex Lozowski
14 Tobias Elliott
15 Liam Williams
Replacements:
16 Kapeli Pifeleti
17 Eroni Mawi
18 Alec Clarey
19 Harry Wilson
20 Nathan Michelow
21 Ivan van Zyl
22 Sam Spink
23 Angus Hall
Players Rested:
Rhys Carre, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Nick Tompkins, Lucio Cinti
Players Unavailable:
Alex Goode, Andy Onyeama-Christie, Elliot Daly, Hugh Tizard, James Hadfield, Louie Johnson, Marco Riccioni, Tom Willis, Theo Dan
