England trio Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Billy Vunipola will play for Saracens for the first time since the Rugby World Cup after being named in the side to face Bath in the Gallagher Premiership as they seek to repair the damage from their 35-point deduction for breaching the league’s salary cap.
Saracens will not be appealing the league’s ruling, meaning the reigning Premiership and European champions are currently bottom of the table, trailing Leicester by 26 points as they look to avoid relegation to the Championship.
The game against Bath will see England international Elliot Daly make his first Premiership appearance for the club at fullback and Jamie George make his first start of the season and South African World Cup winner Vincent Koch named on the bench.
Director of rugby Mark McCall is now hoping his side will start to close the gap at the bottom by naming a full strength line-up, with 17 of the 23 players in the squad for the Bath clash having received an international cap.
“They’re in great spirits, surprising to some, maybe,” McCall said. “There’s a real sense of togetherness and unity there. Bath is a really big match.
“We prepare for these games normally. We’ve got really experienced players. Being anxious and desperate about winning and looking at tables is not it. We’ve got to enjoy our weeks together, prepare well and play as well as we can.
“We’re up against a really good side on Friday. It will be a tough place for us to go, but there’s a good buzz in the group.”