TEAM NEWS | Saracens Men v Leicester Tigers (PRC - Rd 7)
Nathan Michelow will once again lead an exciting Saracens side into a must win PREM Rugby Cup fixture against Leicester Tigers this Saturday in North London.
After a tough loss at StoneX Stadium last weekend, Michelow is looking for a big response from the side he will skipper in NW4 against pool leaders Leicester in the penultimate group stage fixture.
The hosts make six changes to the side that fell short against Harlequins last weekend. One of those changes comes in the front row as Phil Brantingham and James Hadfield are joined by Harvey Beaton, who makes his second start of the season at tighthead.
A new second-row partnership sees Nick Isiekwe combine with Hugh Tizard in the engine room.
Tayo Adegbemile shifts back to blindside flanker from lock, with Andy Onyeama-Christie coming in on the other flank after signing a new deal with the club this week. Nathan Michelow captains the side from number eight.
Gareth Simpson replaces the injured Charlie Bracken at scrum half, partnering Louie Johnson who continues at fly-half.
The midfield sees the return of Welsh international Nick Tompkins, who starts at outside centre alongside Olly Hartley. Rotimi Segun comes into the side on the left wing after also signing a new deal recently, Brandon Jackson switches to the right, with Alex Lozowski moving to full-back nine years on from his last appearance at 15 for the Men in Black.
The bench is bolstered by the returning Ivan van Zyl and Fergus Burke, while Seva Kava, who scored on debut last weekend, keeps his place among the replacements.
Michelow knows what has to be done to secure the right result in this must win fixture.
“This is a big game for us in the competition, not only because we are playing the top side in our pool but also because we want to bounce back from last weekend against Quins.
We have a good mix of youngsters and experience in the squad and feel the team is more than ready to deliver a performance we can be proud of as a group.”
Saracens Men’s team to play Leicester Tigers:
15 Alex Lozowski
14 Brandon Jackson
13 Nick Tompkins
12 Olly Hartley
11 Rotimi Segun
10 Louie Johnson
9 Gareth Simpson
1 Phil Brantingham
2 James Hadfield
3 Harvey Beaton
4 Nick Isiekwe
5 Hugh Tizard
6 Tayo Adegbemile
7 Andy Onyeama-Christie
8 Nathan Michelow (c)
Replacements:
16 Eoghan Clarke
17 Alex O’Driscoll
18 Tietie Tuimauga
19 Charlie West
20 Reggie Hammick
21 Ivan van Zyl
22 Fergus Burke
23 Seva Kava
