Saracens release full 39-man squad list and 9 departures
Saracens have confirmed its squad for the remainder of the 2019/20 campaign and the 2020/21 Championship season. Fourteen senior players have signed new contracts beyond the 2020/21 season.
England and British & Irish Lions internationals Elliot Daly, Owen Farrell, Jamie George and Maro Itoje have all penned new deals meaning all six of Saracens’ England 2019 Rugby World Cup final starters (including Billy and Mako Vunipola) have committed their long-term future to the club.
Scotland wing Sean Maitland and fellow flyer Alex Lewington have both extended for two years while lock Callum Hunter-Hill made his move from Edinburgh Rugby permanent, signing for three years.
Academy graduates Dom Morris and Ralph Adams-Hale have committed themselves until 2022 and 2023 respectively, and five further players pledged their future to the Men in Black before heading out on loan.
Ben Earl and Max Malins re-signed ahead of joining Bristol Bears for a year and Nick Isiekwe signed for Northampton Saints on a season-long loan after agreeing a new deal until 2024.
Wales centre Nick Tompkins will continue his international ambitions with a campaign at the Dragons and fellow midfielder Alex Lozowski will play in the Top 14 with Montpellier.
Mike Rhodes has extended his contract for another year while captain Brad Barritt and club stalwart Richard Wigglesworth have both signed short-term deals until the end of the 2019/20 season.
Six players have graduated from the Senior Academy.
Manu Vunipola, Andy Christie, Elliott Obatoyinbo Sean Reffell and Joel Kpoku have penned long-term contracts with the Men in Black and are now part of the Senior Squad. Kapeli Pifeleti has also made the transition.
The sextet have 97 first-team appearances between them to date.
Seven new faces will be part of the Sarries squad moving forward.
Wales scrum-half Aled Davies bolsters Mark McCall’s options at nine and Scotland’s Tim Swinson has been lured out of retirement.
BREAKING: Details confirmed for remaining Six Nations matches.https://t.co/NJf2j7KkFC
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 5, 2020
USA Eagle Will Hooley and former Newcastle Falcons back Juan Pablo Socino add Championship experience to the squad as do centre Harry Sloan and Jersey duo Alec Clarey and Janco Venter.
Nine first-team players have left the club.
After 12 years in north London, George Kruis leaves for a new challenge in Japan with Panosonic Wild Knights while Ben Spencer’s nine-year stay has ended with a move to Bath Rugby.
Liam Williams (Scarlets) and Academy graduate Matt Gallagher (Munster) will ply their trade in the Pro14 next term as will Rhys Carre who has returned to boyhood club Cardiff Blues. Joe Gray, Titi Lamositele and Will Skelton have signed with Harlequins, Montpellier and La Rochelle respectively.
?? Saracens is pleased to confirm its squad for the remainder of the 2019/20 campaign and the 2020/21 Championship season.#TogetherSaracens ???
— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) August 5, 2020
Viliami Hakalo has left Saracens following the end of his contract.
FULL SENIOR SQUAD LIST
Props
Alec Clarey
Eroni Mawi
Josh Ibuanokpe
Mako Vunipola
Ralph Adams-Hale
Richard Barrington
Vincent Koch
Hookers
Jamie George
Kapeli Pifeleti
Tom Woolstencroft
Locks
Callum Hunter-Hill
Joel Kpoku
Maro Itoje
Tim Swinson
Back Row
Andy Christie
Billy Vunipola
Calum Clark
Jackson Wray
Janco Venter
Mike Rhodes
Sean Reffell
Scrum-Halves
Aled Davies
Alex Day
Richard Wigglesworth*
Tom Whiteley
Fly-Halves
Manu Vunipola
Owen Farrell
Will Hooley
Centres
Brad Barritt*
Dom Morris
Duncan Taylor
Elliot Daly
Harry Sloan
Juan Pablo Socino
Back Three
Alex Goode
Alex Lewington
Ali Crossdale
Elliott Obatoyinbo
Rotimi Segun
Sean Maitland
DEPARTURES
Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby)
George Kruis (Panosonic Wild Knights)
Joe Gray (Harlequins)
Liam Williams (Scarlets)
Matt Gallagher (Munster)
Rhys Carre (Cardiff Blues)
Titi Lamositele (Montpellier)
Viliami Hakalo (Retired)
Will Skelton (La Rochelle)
LOANS RETURNING FOR 2021/22 CAMPAIGN
Alex Lozowski (Montpellier)
Ben Earl (Bristol Bears)
Jack Singleton (Gloucester)
Max Malins (Bristol Bears)
Nick Isiekwe (Northampton Saints)
Nick Tompkins (Dragons)
* Brad Barritt and Richard Wigglesworth have signed until the end of the 2019/20 Premiership Rugby campaign
Comments on RugbyPass
As long as New Zealand youth are involved in sport they are passionate for, and are well supported, it’s all good. I love league as well as rugby. NRL clubs have long since scouted the First 15 competitions, the NH and Japan scout super rugby and NPC. It’s a miracle there’s any players left for the all blacks to pick from.
4 Go to commentsI'm a Bok fan, so I don't say this lightly, but he is one of my all time favourite players. I am really going to miss watching him play. Thanks for many great memories. You are a true legend of the game.
3 Go to commentsBest way to deal with all of this is to play another game.
119 Go to commentsIt’s 12-15 games Luke. Ringrose has barely played in 2024 and Henshaw and Keenan have also been out for spells in the same time period. There are always injuries and for younger players to play with the likes of Barrett will be great for them. It’s just looking for negatives where there are none.
5 Go to commentsAndy Goode pushing his own agenda with very dubious considerations on refereeing performances. Luke Pearce speaking a bit of French doesn’t make him a good and adequate referee for the Champions Cup final; his latest refereeing performance in particular was not so great.
4 Go to commentsJordie knows that he has to earn the right to put on the jersey, whatever that jersey might be.
5 Go to commentsThe best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
3 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
4 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
119 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
3 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
4 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
4 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
119 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
4 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to comments