Saracens vs Bath

[Puja]

Saracens team to face Bath at Allianz Park on Saturday 28th September (15H00 KO):

FORWARDS: Mako Vunipola (148), Jamie George (200), Titi Lamositele (55), Maro Itoje (98), George Kruis (161), Nick Isiekwe (39), Jackson Wray (203), Billy Vunipola (87).

BACKS: Alex Goode (265). Liam Williams (19), Alex Lozowski (64), Brad Barritt (227), Sean Maitland (45), Owen Farrell (177), Richard Wigglesworth (214).

REPLACEMENTS: Christopher Tolofua (21), Richard Barrington (140), Christian Judge (0), Will Skelton (29), Schalk Burger (52), Ben Spencer (135), Nick Tompkins (73), Alex Lewington (3).


Bath Rugby team to face Saracens

15. Darren Atkins
14. Semesa Rokoduguni
13. Max Clark
12. Max Wright
11. Tom Homer
10. Rhys Priestland
9. Chris Cook

1. Jacques van Rooyen
2. Jack Walker
3. Anthony Perenise
4. Charlie Ewels (c)
5. Elliott Stooke
6. Josh Bayliss
7. Francois Louw
8. Paul Grant

Replacements

16. Michael van Vuuren
17. Lucas Noguera
18. Victor Delmas
19. Levi Douglas
20. Miles Reid
21. Max Green
22. Freddie Burns
23. Jackson Willison

[Puja]

Saracens list their team in a really weird format.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Throwing in the towel there I see. Understandable, but sad to see - it's the start of a ridiculous 2nd 4 week period.
A Sarries
H Exeter
H Toulouse
A Wasps

The thing that pleases me is that it still ooks a pretty decent squad, even with a sum total of 2 first choice starters.

In terms of the table, I think the best we can hope for is that Sarries run up a score, and get loose in defence as a result, allowing us a TBP of our own - we shouldn't be getting close to a LBP after all.
I'd still back that team to push the mid-table sides close though.

ETA:Out of interest, I make that Saracens' 1.33th choice; Bath's 2.4th choice...

[TheNomad]

Wow. Fairly strong statement from Bath - albeit not in a good way

[fivepointer]

Thats quite a bit of rotation from Bath. Its good to see Ewels back, Bayliss getting a start along with Max x2 at centre but so many regular starters missing presents quite a challenge..
They are going to get a drubbling.

[Scrumhead]

Yep. Lamositele is the only Sarries player who’s not a regular starter there. While the likes of Wray and Maitland aren’t nailed-on first choice players, they’re almost always in the 23.

From the Bath side, there’s only a handful of regular starters in that XV and Roko and Louw are the only players I’d say are genuinely first choice in their positions.

Looking at what Sarries did to a first choice Gloucester side last week, this could be an ugly one for Bath.

[Which Tyler]

Now that was a sexy line from Goode

[twitchy]

Walk in the park for sarries.

[Which Tyler]

Gotta say, Faz's restarts have been absolutely perfect today

[Mikey Brown]

Gotta say, Faz's restarts have been absolutely perfect today

Aye. I mean they always claim he's great at it, but they actually are today.

Also Goode would probably have MOTM sewn up already if he'd got that ball down.

[Which Tyler]

To be fair, both teams are mailing the restarts. But that Farrel/Williams partnership down their right wing as absolutely pin-point perfect.
Itnhelpsnthat Williams is probably the best chaser in rugby, but he's putting the ball within 1' of the ideal target each and every time.

Delighted that Bath are still in this though - it really doesn't feel like we are, but the scoreboard doesn't lie (cue 30 unanswered points for Sarries in the second half)

As for MotM - the only thing that stands in Goode's way is either a Farrell wank-fest, or Chris Cook singke-handedly winning the match for Bath

[Which Tyler]

Wtf is going on with Jamie George standing in Bath's SH position, and shoving Van Rooyen