TEAM NEWS | Bath Rugby U18 Vs Saracens U18 (ACAD R4)

U18 Head Coach, Jack Pattinson hopes his side can rise to the challenge as the U18 travel to Bath for a top of the table clash.

With the academy league still very much in the balance, Saracens travel to Allington Fields knowing a win would set up an almighty final game with Harlequins next week. After a win in a friendly against Leicester Tigers last weekend, the U18s are keen to keep their unbeaten streak in tact against the reigning champions Bath.

Pattinson makes two changes to the starting XV that produced a bonus point win against Exeter Chiefs a fortnight ago. One of them comes in the front row as Alan Poku joins James Talamai and Gabriel Registe in the scrum. Mathis Dehauteur and Lewis Golding remain in the second row, with Henry Dargan starting at blindside, captain Jack Marshall at openside and Matthew Branch-Holland wearing eight.

Asa Stewart-Harris returns from injury at scrum-half to partner fellow England U18 international Finn Keylock at half-back. Ryan Jones is named vice-captain in the midfield alongside Alex Mason. The back-three remains unchanged with Zac Finch and Noah Caluori on the wings and Ben Morrow at full-back.

On the bench Charlie Kingsford and Owen Gillett will cover the front row, with Marlon Farouk-Roy, Ashton Ilincic and AJ Henry all alternative options in the pack. Charlie Heard will be the replacement scrum-half, with Patrick Keaveney and Seva Kava providing cover in the backfield.

Pattinson is excited to come up against another tough challenge in the Academy League.

"As a group, we understand the challenge that Saturday brings against Bath. The set piece and breakdown will be fiercely contested throughout. And I’m excited to see how our lads rise to this and meet it head on.

We’ve got an incredibly committed group. There’s a real buy in, which is special to be a part of. They compete against each other all week, and ultimately, it’s helping them to all bring the best out of each other.

We’ve spoken all season about ‘Intensity being our Identity’ and I think Saturday brings the perfect opportunity for the lads to take ownership of this and bring it to life, right from the outset."

Saracens U18 to face Bath U18:

1 Alan Poku

2 James Talamai

3 Gabriel Registe

4 Mathis Dehauteur

5 Lewis Golding

6 Henry Dargan

7 Jack Marshall (c)

8 Matthew Branch-Holland

9 Asa Stewart-Harris

10 Finn Keylock

11 Zac Finch

12 Ryan Jones (vc)

13 Alex Mason

14 Noah Caluori

15 Ben Morrow

Replacements:

16 Charlie Kingsford

17 Owen Gillett

18 Marlon Farouk-Roy

19 Ashton Ilincic

20 AJ Henry

21 Charlie Heard

22 Patrick Keaveney

23 Seva Kava