Two Lions return as Saracens and Exeter name sides for first game in a year

England internationals Luke Cowan-Dickie and Elliot Daly will return from injury lay-offs in Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership clash between Exeter and Saracens.

Both players missed England’s Autumn Nations Series campaign last month, but feature in the starting line-ups this weekend.

Exeter hooker Cowan-Dickie has not played since suffering an ankle injury seven weeks ago. He will pack down in Chiefs’ front-row alongside Alec Hepburn and Josh Iosefa-Scott.

Daly, meanwhile, starts on Saracens’ left wing in his first appearance since the British and Irish Lions’ second Test defeat against South Africa four months ago.

He underwent surgery on returning home to resolve a stress fracture.

Daly, who has won 52 England caps, took part in Saracens’ warm-up ahead of their Premiership appointment with Sale Sharks last weekend, hinting at a likely return against Exeter.

Saracens are currently second in the league – seven points above Exeter – in their first season back in English rugby’s top flight after being relegated last year and fined more than £5million for persistent salary cap breaches.

The teams meet at Sandy Park in what is a first Premiership game between them since September 2020.

Exeter rugby director Rob Baxter said: “As everyone knows, it’s a big fixture for both sides.

“But equally, we have to leave what’s happened in the past behind us and look to move on.

“Like ourselves, Saracens want to be competing in and around that top end, winning Premierships, so we’ve got to relish occasions like this, enjoy playing in these big fixtures and get our heads fully around playing in these pressure scenarios.”

EXETER CHIEFS:

15 Stuart Hogg

14 Jack Nowell

13 Henry Slade

12 Ian Whitten

11 Tom O’Flaherty

10 Joe Simmonds

9 Jack Maunder

1 Alec Hepburn

2 Luke Cowan-Dickie

3 Josh Iosefa-Scott

4 Jonny Gray

5 Jonny Hill

6 Dave Ewers

7 Don Armand

8 Sam Simmonds

REPLACEMENTS:

16 Jack Yeandle

17 James Kenny

18 Sam Nixon

19 Richard Capstick

20 Jannes Kirsten

21 Sam Maunder

22 Harvey Skinner

23 Tom Hendrickson

SARACENS:

1 Mako Vunipola

2 Ethan Lewis

3 Vincent Koch

4 Maro Itoje

5 Nick Isiekwe

6 Jackson Wray (cc)

7 Ben Earl

8 Billy Vunipola

9 Aled Davies

10 Alex Goode (cc)

11 Elliot Daly

12 Nick Tompkins

13 Alex Lozowski

14 Alex Lewington

15 Max Malins

REPLACEMENTS:

16 Kapeli Pifeleti

17 Eroni Mawi

18 Alec Clarey

19 Tim Swinson

20 Theo McFarland

21 Andy Christie

22 Ivan van Zyl

23 Dom Morris