TEAM NEWS | Harlequins v Saracens Men
Nick Isiekwe says Saracens Men will need to be switched on from start to finish as they prepare for an exciting fixture against London rivals Harlequins on Sunday.
The England second-rower has been in impressive form since returning to North London and will be eyeing up another big performance as Sarries head to the Twickenham Stoop to take on the reigning Champions.
Director of Rugby Mark McCall has made six changes to the starting line-up as his side look for their fourth consecutive win in the Gallagher Premiership.
Tom Woolstencroft will make his first start since the opening night of the season at hooker, joining Mako Vunipola and Vincent Koch in the front-row.
Isiekwe is joined by Tim Swinson in the second-row, with Andy Christie, co-captain Jackson Wray and Billy Vunipola at the base of the scrum.
There’s a new half-back pairing as Ivan van Zyl will make his full debut for the club in the number nine shirt, partnering Alex Lozowski who is back at fly-half.
Nick Tompkins and Dom Morris continue their midfield partnership and an experienced back-three is made up of Sean Maitland, Alex Lewington and co-captain Alex Goode.
Theo McFarland could make his first Premiership appearance since his summer move from Samoa as he is named among the replacements.
There is also plenty of other international experience in the form of Eroni Mawi, Marco Riccioni, Ben Earl and Aled Davies looking to make an impact.
Isiekwe is confident that the Men in Black can continue to get better despite some handsome results in recent weeks.
“We’ve got a good vibe at the moment but we never want to stand still and it’s about how we can improve week on week,” he said.
“Quins are a great attacking team and we know we have to be switched on. They have an all-court game and can play from anywhere but it just goes back to us being focused and imposing ourselves on the game.”
Saracens Men team to play Harlequins:
1 Mako Vunipola
2 Tom Woolstencroft
3 Vincent Koch
4 Nick Isiekwe
5 Tim Swinson
6 Andy Christie
7 Jackson Wray (c)
8 Billy Vunipola
9 Ivan van Zyl
10 Alex Lozowski
11 Sean Maitland
12 Nick Tompkins
13 Dom Morris
14 Alex Lewington
15 Alex Goode (c)
Replacements:
16 Ethan Lewis
17 Eroni Mawi
18 Marco Riccioni
19 Theo McFarland
20 Ben Earl
21 Aled Davies
22 Rotimi Segun
23 Elliott Obatoyinbo
