TEAM NEWS | Saracens Men Vs Northampton Saints (PRL R12)
Elliot Daly will make his 100th Saracens appearance in the grandest fashion, leading out his side at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the Original Club of North London host Northampton Saints.
Daly starts at full-back for The Showdown VI in Association with StoneX as he brings up a century of caps for Saracens in a must-win Gallagher PREM fixture. Fresh from re-signing for the club this week, the British & Irish Lion is in line for his fourth Showdown appearance on Saturday against the current league leaders.
Director of Rugby Mark McCall has made four changes to the side that lost to Bath Rugby last Friday night. One of those comes in the front row, as Rhys Carre returns to the Saracens pack fresh from Six Nations duty, joining Theo Dan and Marcus Street.
Saracens captain Maro Itoje returns at a crucial time, partnering Hugh Tizard in the second row. Theo McFarland keeps his place on the blindside, with Andy Onyeama-Christie promoted from the bench to the openside. Tom Willis completes the pack at number eight.
Charlie Bracken returns at scrum-half, partnering Owen Farrell, who marshals the side from fly-half. The rest of the backline remains unchanged, with Nick Tompkins and Lucio Cinti forming an all-international midfield pairing.
Rotimi Segun and Tobias Elliott continue on the wings, with Elliott having scored on his Showdown debut last year. Daly rounds off the side on a landmark occasion for the England international.
Amongst the replacements, there's a return to the match day squad for Nathan Michelow. Jamie George could also make his return after being rested following the Guinness Six Nations.
Daly is proud to reach the milestone on such a grand stage.
“Playing 100 games for this club is something I am very proud of. The Showdown is always a great occasion, so to lead the team out will be a special moment. It is a massive game for us and everyone is extremely motivated to get the right result.”
Saracens Men team to play Northampton Saints:
1 Rhys Carre
2 Theo Dan
3 Marcus Street
4 Maro Itoje (c)
5 Hugh Tizard
6 Theo McFarland
7 Andy Onyeama-Christie
8 Tom Willis
9 Charlie Bracken
10 Owen Farrell
11 Rotimi Segun
12 Nick Tompkins
13 Lucio Cinti
14 Tobias Elliott
15 Elliot Daly
Replacements:
16 Jamie George
17 Eroni Mawi
18 Marco Riccioni
19 Nick Isiekwe
20 Nathan Michelow
21 Ivan Van Zyl
22 Fergus Burke
23 Max Malins
