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Two British and Irish Lions return to Saracens' starting XV

By Online Editors
Billy Vunipola in action against Glasgow Warriors in Heineken Champions Cup. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Saracens have welcomed back two British and Irish Lions for their clash with Sale Sharks.

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Billy Vunipola and Liam Williams will make their return from long-term injuries when Saracens head to the AJ Bell Stadium on Friday night.

Number 8 Vunipola has been absent since breaking his arm against Glasgow Warriors in October while Wales international Williams, who scored in this fixture last year, has been out with a hamstring problem.

David Strettle comes in on the wing after dotting down in his first match in two months last weekend and Richard Wigglesworth has recovered from a groin strain to start at nine.

Continue reading below…

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Alongside Vunipola in the pack, prop Vincent Koch is fit to play and is joined in the front row by hooker Tom Woolstencroft with Jamie George rested.

Schalk Burger is reinstated on the flank in Sarries seventh change.

Saracens team to face Sale Sharks at AJ Bell Stadium on Friday 4th January (KO 19H45):

15 Alex Goode
14 Liam Williams
13 Nick Tompkins
12 Alex Lozowski
11 David Strettle
10 Owen Farrell (c)
9 Richard Wigglesworth

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1 Mako Vunipola
2 Tom Woolstencroft
3 Vincent Koch
4 Will Skelton
5 George Kruis
6 Nick Isiekwe
7 Schalk Burger
8 Billy Vunipola

Replacements

16 Christopher Tolofua
17 Richard Barrington
18 Titi Lamositele
19 Calum Clark
20 Jackson Wray
21 Ben Spencer
22 Marcelo Bosch
23 Sean Maitland

Meanwhile Steve Diamond has named his squad to face Saracens.

The Sale Sharks Director of Rugby has made one personnel change to his Match-day 23 with Scotland International Josh Strauss moving to number 8 in place of Jean Luc Du Preez, who sustained a groin injury during the Sharks emphatic win at Kingsholm last Saturday.

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Sharks Academy winger Arron Reed will take up a position on the bench in place of Strauss.

STARTING XV: 15. Chris Ashton, 14. Denny Solomona, 13. James O’Connor, 12. Sam James, 11. Byron McGuigan, 10. Robert Du Preez, 9. Faf De Klerk, 1. Ross Harrison, 2. Rob Webber, 3.Will-Griff John, 4. Josh Beaumont, 5. James Phillips, 6. Jono Ross (Capt.) 7. Tom Curry, 8. Josh Strauss.

REPLACMENTS: 16. Curtis Langdon, 17. Tom Bristow, 18. Joe Jones, 19. Bryn Evans, 20. Ben Curry, 21. Will Cliff, 22. Luke James, 23. Arron Reed.

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J
Jon 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

33 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

33 Go to comments
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