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Eleven Test players named in stacked Saracens team for Doncaster
By PA
Owen Farrell has recovered from a calf problem in time to lead Saracens in their Greene King IPA Championship match against Doncaster at Castle Park on Sunday.
The England captain missed last weekend’s rout of Bedford because of the injury, but has been restored to fitness for a pivotal two rounds in the push for an immediate return to the Gallagher Premiership.
Farrell had recovered from the concussion sustained at the end of the Guinness Six Nations only to then suffer the strain in training, extending his spell on the sidelines.
All of Saracens’ England contingent are named in the starting XV, while Wales centre Nick Tompkins makes his first appearance since returning from his loan spell at the Dragons, partnering Elliot Daly in midfield.
Director of rugby Mark McCall has made five changes to the side who thumped Bedford 54-13, with the selection of lock Tim Swinson, flanker Mike Rhodes and openside Sean Reffell completing the adjustments.
Doncaster are second in the Championship table with five wins from five games and, a week after facing the Knights, third-placed Saracens face leaders Ealing at home.
Tompkins will be making his 119th Saracens appearance and first since February 2020, when he also made his Wales debut.
“I’m really excited to be back. It’s my home so it’s been tough being away, especially watching the guys in another league. I’ve missed it a lot,” Tompkins said.
“This is the most nervous I’ve been in a while as you want to get that respect back from the boys and build those relationships again.”
SARACENS:
15 Elliott Obatoyinbo
14 Alex Lewington
13 Elliot Daly
12 Nick Tompkins
11 Sean Maitland
10 Owen Farrell (c)
9 Aled Davies
1 Mako Vunipola
2 Jamie George
3 Vincent Koch
4 Maro Itoje
5 Tim Swinson
6 Michael Rhodes
7 Sean Reffell
8 Billy Vunipola
REPLACEMENTS:
16 Tom Woolstencroft
17 Richard Barrington
18 Alec Clarey
19 Callum Hunter-Hill
20 Andy Christie
21 Tom Whiteley
22 Manu Vunipola
23 Dom Morris
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Go to commentsI’m not fully convinced this was any sort of deliberate grand plan by SB, other than perhaps a masterful way (as it transpired) of dealing with injuries to a couple of key players in positions that lack high calibre alternatives in SB’s view. Losing Martin and Lawrence was disruptive to the team England ideally wanted and pretty likely both start if they had been able to. Ted Hill clearly isn’t fully trusted, despite being on the bench vs Scotland and Italy, and Slade may have had his day in light of an winger being drafted in to start as Test centre for the first time. Moving Earl to centre is worthwhile, in the right circumstances, as a proving exercise for future reference but it’s not the way to go against any of the top teams.
So they may well have added another page to their emergency playbook but I’m doubtful it was a genuine attempt at cutting edge innovation. More a case of necessity being the mother of invention that happened to suit the opposition on that given day. I guess we’ll know more in the Autumn but it won’t be until next year in Paris that the first real test of that set up would come against a heavy power team, IF it’s still in use ofc…
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