Crisis club Saracens name team for must-win European tie

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Despite the latest twist in the salary cap suggesting they will be automatically relegated from the Gallagher Premiership, Saracens are trying to keep things together on the pitch and they are rolling out the cavalry for Sunday’s must-win Heineken Champions Cup visit of Racing 92.

As revealed by RugbyPass on Thursday night, an automatic drop to the second tier of English rugby is on cards for 2020/21 due to Saracens’ inability to show they are operating under the £7million cap this season.

Away from the league, though, the Londoners must defeat the table-topping Parisians if they are to potentially qualify for the European quarter-finals as a best runner-up.

Mark McCall hasn’t held back with his choices to try and build on last weekend’s dramatic 14-man win at Ospreys. 

Rotimi Segun returns to the back three alongside Elliot Daly and Sean Maitland. The wing scored two tries on his last Allianz Park outing against Worcester Warriors.

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Saracens on brink of automatic relegation

England duo Ben Spencer and Owen Farrell are back in at half-back while Brad Barritt and Duncan Taylor make up the centres.

Mako Vunipola, Jamie George and Vincent Koch come into the front row and Maro Itoje slots in at lock.

The Saracens story just keeps on giving!https://t.co/a9gJIFdMG6

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 17, 2020

The back row comprises of Ben Earl, Billy Vunipola and Jackson Wray – the latter led the team expertly in Wales last time out.

SARACENS (vs Racing): 15 Elliot Daly; 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Brad Barritt (capt), 11 Rotimi Segun; 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Jamie George, 3 Vincent Koch, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Kruis, 6 Jackson Wray, 7 Ben Earl, 8 Billy Vunipola. Reps: 16 Jack Singleton, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Titi Lamositele, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Calum Clark, 21 Tom Whiteley, 22 Alex Lozowski, 23 Alex Lewington.

WATCH: Going Pro, the behind the scenes RugbyPassdocumentary with Saracens women’s rugby team