TEAM NEWS | Saracens Men v Harlequins (GPR - Rd 13)
Captain Owen Farrell says running out for his 250th Saracens appearance at The Showdown 4 in Association with City Index is an enormous honour.
The club captain will lead the team out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium alongside his children in a special moment in front of a crowd of over 60,000 against Harlequins.
The Men in Black are back in Premiership action for the first time since January and welcome back their Six Nations stars for what is always one of the great days in the sporting calendar, with 18 internationals named in the matchday squad.
Mark McCall’s side could leapfrog their London rivals with a victory which would put them back on course for a top-two finish as we enter the business end of the season.
Mako Vunipola, Theo Dan and Christian Judge start in the front-row, with Theo McFarland and Hugh Tizard combining in the second-row.
A back-row of Juan Martin Gonzalez, Six Nations Player of the Tournament nominee Ben Earl and Billy Vunipola will be looking to get the side on the front-foot with their dynamism and ball-carrying prowess.
Ivan van Zyl will be in the number nine shirt with Farrell holding the keys to number 10 for his 250th appearance.
Nick Tompkins returns from Wales duty to start at inside centre, and he’ll have Lucio Cinti next to him in the midfield. Alex Lewington starts on the left wing, with Rotimi Segun on the right and Elliot Daly at full-back.
On the bench there is a wealth of experience to enter the action, with England captain Jamie George, Scotland star Andy Christie and the most capped Saracen Alex Goode all ready to add their quality.
Farrell is incredibly proud to be reaching this landmark on such a big day for the club.
“To be able to play that amount of games, especially with this group, is special. I’ve been here since I was 14, I’ve grown up at this place and my best mates are from here.
The Showdown is always a massive occasion, but to play my 250th game for the club on that occasion, with my friends and family around me watching, will be brilliant.
I’ve played there for a few years now and the occasion is massive. It’s nice to have a big one for such a milestone. Hopefully it will be something I can look back on and feel proud of.
Going into the back end of the season we’re looking forward to making it the best we can and there’s plenty of opportunities to do that.”
There are still a handful of tickets remaining! Book yours to The Showdown 4 in Association with City Index NOW!
Saracens Men team to play Harlequins:
1 Mako Vunipola
2 Theo Dan
3 Christian Judge
4 Theo McFarland
5 Hugh Tizard
6 Juan Martin Gonzalez
7 Ben Earl
8 Billy Vunipola
9 Ivan van Zyl
10 Owen Farrell (c)
11 Alex Lewington
12 Nick Tompkins
13 Lucio Cinti
14 Rotimi Segun
15 Elliot Daly
Replacements:
16 Jamie George
17 Eroni Mawi
18 Marco Riccioni
19 Nick Isiekwe
20 Tom Willis
21 Andy Christie
22 Gareth Simpson
23 Alex Goode
