Maro Itoje says it will be an enormous honour to become the latest member of the 200 Club at Saracens when he leads the team out against Sale Sharks on Saturday.
The Saracens, England and British & Irish Lions Captain will be the 17th player on an illustrious list to have reached a double hundred of appearances for the Original Club of North London, in another landmark moment for the second-rower who continues to reach new heights.
Director of Rugby Mark McCall has made six changes to the side that faced London rivals Harlequins last time out as he looks for a big response on Saturday evening under the floodlights.
Two of those changes come in the front row. Eroni Mawi makes his first start of the season after returning from international duty with Fiji over the summer. Having made his comeback from the bench last weekend, Jamie George is named to start against the Sharks, joining Mawi and mainstay Marco Riccioni in a powerful front-row.
Itoje will reach his double century in the engine room, and will start alongside Hugh Tizard.
In the back row, Juan Martin Gonzalez returns for his first start of the season. Ben Earl, who crossed the line against Quins, remains at openside, with Tom Willis completing the pack at number eight.
Charlie Bracken makes his first PREM start at scrum-half, with Fergus Burke continuing at fly-half. Owen Farrell and Nick Tompkins partner once again in the midfield, after the Welshman recovered from a head knock at The Stoop.
The one change in the backline sees Noah Caluori make his first Gallagher PREM start on the right wing. Lucio Cinti, who produced standout numbers last week remains on the left, with Max Malins continuing at full-back.
Saracens opt for a 6–2 split on the bench, with internationals Theo Dan, Rhys Carre, Nick Isiekwe and Andy Onyeama-Christie all retaining their places in the matchday squad.
Itoje says Saturday will be a special day at StoneX Stadium.
“Playing 200 matches for this great club means a lot to me and my family. This milestone isn’t lost on me and I have so many people to thank who have all played a big part in this journey.
Saturday will be a special day and I’m hoping to mark it with a strong performance against a really good Sale side.”
Saracens Men team to play Sale Sharks:
1 Eroni Mawi
2 Jamie George
3 Marco Riccioni
4 Maro Itoje (c)
5 Hugh Tizard
6 Juan Martin Gonzalez
7 Ben Earl
8 Tom Willis
9 Charlie Bracken
10 Fergus Burke
11 Lucio Cinti
12 Owen Farrell
13 Nick Tompkins
14 Noah Caluori
15 Max Malins
Replacements:
16 Theo Dan
17 Rhys Carre
18 Marcus Street
19 Harry Wilson
20 Nick Isiekwe
21 Andy Onyeama-Christie
22 Gareth Simpson
23 Jack Bracken
Injured: Phil Brantingham, Elliot Daly, Max Eke, Tobias Elliott, Olly Hartley, Toby Knight, Alex Lozowski, Theo McFarland, Vilikesa Nairau, Sam Spink, Harvey Beaton, Rotimi Segun, Ivan van Zyl.
Unavailable: Nathan Michelow.
