TEAM NEWS | Saracens Men v Worcester Warriors
Alex Lozowski says Saracens are all ecstatic to be returning to action on Boxing Day as they prepare to face Worcester Warriors at StoneX Stadium.
The Men in Black will take to the field for the first time in 15 days following the European cancellation, and the league takes centre stage again on Sunday afternoon.
Sarries, who currently sit second in the table have a crucial block of Premiership matches ahead of them, with fixtures against Worcester, Northampton and Gloucester in the next three rounds.
Mako Vunipola, Ethan Lewis and Vincent Koch start in a powerful front-row, with Maro Itoje and Nick Isiekwe continuing their partnership in the second-row. Jackson Wray co-captains the team from blindside, and he has Ben Earl and Billy Vunipola alongside him at the base of the scrum.
Aled Davies and co-captain Alex Goode return as half-backs and will be looking to get the North Londoners on the front foot. Nick Tompkins and Alex Lozowski keep up their midfield pairing, with a pacy back-three of Alex Lewington, Sean Maitland and Max Malins.
On the bench there is a boost as Tom Woolstencroft returns to the match day squad, and the versatile Elliot Daly will be looking to make a big impact when called upon.
Lozowski, who signed a new contract with the club this week knows how important it is to hit the ground running on Sunday.
“Worcester are going to come down for a big Boxing Day game and hopefully we’ll have a good crowd. They’re improving all the time and it’s going to be a massive game.”
He added: “We’re under no illusions as to how important this block is and we’re fully focused on Worcester and then Northampton after that. We need to keep getting points on the board and pushing for those top two positions.”
Saracens Men team to play Worcester Warriors:
1 Mako Vunipola
2 Ethan Lewis
3 Vincent Koch
4 Maro Itoje
5 Nick Isiekwe
6 Jackson Wray
7 Ben Earl
8 Billy Vunipola
9 Aled Davies
10 Alex Goode
11 Alex Lewington
12 Nick Tompkins
13 Alex Lozowski
14 Sean Maitland
15 Max Malins
Replacements:
16 Tom Woolstencroft
17 Richard Barrington
18 Harvey Beaton
19 Tim Swinson
20 Theo McFarland
21 Ivan van Zyl
22 Manu Vunipola
23 Elliot Daly