Team News: Saracens Men vs Northampton Saints
Saracens kick-off the 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership season against Northampton Saints with 11 of the starting XV having come through the Academy.
11 of Saturday's starting line-up have come through the Academy.
Performances in the Premiership Rugby Cup have led to several of the club’s young players deserving their opportunity at the beginning of the campaign.
Rotimi Segun, who scored for four tries in the competition, and Ralph Adams-Hale earn just their second Premiership starts while Kapeli Pifeleti will make his first league outing from hooker when Saints visit Allianz Park on Saturday.
Prop Titi Lamositele began all of USA’s 2019 Rugby World Cup pool matches, completing 80 minutes against England, and returns to partner Adams-Hale and Pifeleti in the front row.
The locks and back row remain unchanged from Sarries’ win over Harlequins last time out as does the half-back pairing of Ben Spencer and Alex Goode with the latter captaining the side as he edges closer to 300 appearances for the Men in Black.
Debut: Pifeleti will make his first Premiership appearance
Alex Lozowski created both of Saracens’ tries in his last match at Allianz Park and joins Nick Tompkins in the midfield. The 24-year-old also crossed for four scores in the Cup including a hat-trick against this weekend’s opponents.
On the bench, Academy trio Sam Wainwright, Callum Hunter-Hill (on loan from Edinburgh) and Elliott Obatoyinbo will make their Premiership bow should they enter the fray.
Brad Barritt, Juan Figallo, Mike Rhodes, Dom Morris, Tom Woolstencroft and Max Malins are unavailable for the fixture due to injury while Josh Ibuanokpe is suspended.
Saracens team to play Northampton Saints at Allianz Park on Saturday 19th October (KO 15H00):
15 Matt Gallagher (37)
14 Rotimi Segun (16)
13 Alex Lozowski (93)
12 Nick Tompkins (105)
11 Alex Lewington (31)
10 Alex Goode © (292)
9 Ben Spencer (159)
1 Ralph Adams-Hale (13)
2 Kapeli Pifeleti (4)
3 Titi Lamositele (75)
4 Will Skelton (62)
5 Nick Isiekwe (67)
6 Calum Clark (42)
7 Ben Earl (42)
8 Jackson Wray (227)
16 Joe Gray (14)
17 Richard Barrington (173)
18 Sam Wainwright (4)
19 Joel Kpoku (14)
20 Callum Hunter-Hill (4)
21 Tom Whiteley (34)
22 Manu Vunipola (8)
23 Elliott Obatoyinbo (6)
Saracens caps in brackets
