TEAM NEWS | Bath Rugby Vs Saracens Men (PRL R11)

Director of Rugby, Mark McCall is excited by the prospect of the Gallagher PREM returning this Friday night as Saracens head to title holders Bath at the Recreation Ground.

In the first of two huge domestic fixtures rounding off March, Sarries travel to the West Country for a big clash under the lights ahead of Showdown VI at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 28 March.

McCall makes seven changes from the side that last ran out in Gallagher PREM action nearly two months ago in North London. That includes an all-new front row, with Eroni Mawi and Marcus Street starting either side of Theo Dan in an explosive trio at the scrum.

The engine room remains unchanged, with Nick Isiekwe and Hugh Tizard continuing at lock. Theo McFarland provides added lineout presence at blindside flanker, with Juan Martin Gonzalez shifting to openside and Tom Willis rounding off a formidable pack at number eight.

Ivan Van Zyl captains the side and partners Owen Farrell, who returns to playing duties after coaching the squad during the PREM Rugby Cup period. An all-international midfield combination of Nick Tompkins and Lucio Cinti lines up in the centres. Rotimi Segun keeps his place on the left wing, while Tobias Elliott makes his first Gallagher PREM appearance of the season on the opposite wing after recovering from a hamstring injury. Elliot Daly returns from Six Nations duty to start at fullback for the Men in Black.

On the bench, Ben Earl returns to Sarries action following a standout Six Nations campaign.

“We have three big games to kick off this block, starting on Friday night against the current champions Bath, which is something to be really excited about. We have trained well this week, giving us the best opportunity to start strongly and build momentum heading into an important set of fixtures.”

Saracens Men's team to play Bath Rugby:

1 Eroni Mawi

2 Theo Dan

3 Marcus Street

4 Nick Isiekwe

5 Hugh Tizard

6 Theo McFarland

7 Juan Martin Gonzalez

8 Tom Willis

9 Ivan Van Zyl (c)

10 Owen Farrell

11 Rotimi Segun

12 Nick Tompkins

13 Lucio Cinti

14 Tobias Elliott

15 Elliot Daly

Replacements:

16 James Hadfield

17 Alex O'Driscoll

18 Marco Riccioni

19 Andy Onyeama-Christie

20 Ben Earl

21 Gareth Simpson

22 Fergus Burke

23 Max Malins