TEAM NEWS | Harlequins v Saracens Men (PRC - Rd 4)
Tom Woolstencroft says there is no better game to continue building momentum as Saracens Men make the journey to The Twickenham Stoop to take on Harlequins in the next round of The Premiership Rugby Cup on Sunday.
The Men in Black head across London to face their local rivals for the first derby of the 23/24 campaign, and will also be in front of the TNT Sports Cameras.
Director of Rugby Mark McCall has made two changes to the starting line-up from the big win over Nottingham, with Ollie Stonham and Aled Davies both coming in to the XV.
Tom West, Tom Woolstencroft and Ollie Hoskins continue in the front-row, with Nick Isiekwe moving back in to the second-row to join Callum Hunter-Hill.
Stonham is rewarded for an energetic performance last week with a start in the number six shirt, and he will be joined by Toby Knight and Tom Willis in the back-row.
Davies has the in-form Manu Vunipola as his half-back partner, with an unchanged midfield of Olly Hartley and captain Alex Lozowski.
Alex Lewington continues on the left wing, Rotimi Segun will be on the right and summer arrival Tom Parton keeps his place at full-back.
On the bench Samson Adejimi will aim to make another big impact from the bench, and Francis Moore returns to the squad after an impressive display on loan at Ampthill against Leicester Tigers last week.
Woolstencroft is excited to renew the rivalry with Harlequins this weekend.
“We want to keep building momentum, and there is no better game to get stuck into than a derby.
Every game against Quins is a big game and this is no different for us. We took some strides forward last weekend and want to build on that as we edge closer to the start of the Premiership season.”
Saracens Men team to play Harlequins:
1 Tom West
2 Tom Woolstencroft
3 Ollie Hoskins
4 Callum Hunter-Hill
5 Nick Isiekwe
6 Ollie Stonham
7 Toby Knight
8 Tom Willis
9 Aled Davies
10 Manu Vunipola
11 Alex Lewington
12 Olly Hartley
13 Alex Lozowski (c)
14 Rotimi Segun
15 Tom Parton
Replacements:
16 Samson Adejimi
17 Sam Crean
18 Christian Judge
19 Alex Wardell
20 Nathan Michelow
21 Gareth Simpson
22 Francis Moore
23 Tobias Elliott