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Owen Farrell a no show for Saracens against Bordeaux
By Ian Cameron
Saracens will face Bordeaux Begles in the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 without star player Owen Farrell.
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The match set for this weekend at Stade Chaban-Delmas offers Saracens a chance to progress to the quarter final and seek redemption following a group stage defeat against the same opponent. Farrell’s absence due to a minor hamstring injury sustained against Northampton leaves a significant gap in the lineup.
However, the team will leverage the depth of its European champions including Mako Vunipola, captain Jamie George, and Christian Judge in the front row. Maro Itoje returns to bolster the second row alongside Hugh Tizard.
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The back-row will see Theo McFarland, Ben Earl, and Billy Vunipola bringing their well-known dynamism and physicality. Alex Goode steps in as half-back partner to Ivan van Zyl in place of Farrell – who will be playing for Stuart Lancaster’s Racing 92 next season.
The midfield partnership of Nick Tompkins and Lucio Cinti remains intact while the back three comprises Alex Lewington, Sean Maitland, and Elliot Daly. The bench includes potential game-changers like Theo Dan, Marco Riccioni, and Juan Martin Gonzalez.
“There’s a really good energy around the place as we’ve got an unbelievable opportunity ahead of us,” said Tom Willis. “This club has a great history in Europe and the boys are all very excited for such a big game.
“After the last game there we had a lot of honest conversations about where we were at and we feel like we’ve kicked on since then. It’s a massive challenge but one that we will put all our energy in to.
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“Bordeaux is a place that means a lot to me after they gave me an opportunity, so personally it’s really exciting to be taking them on.”
SARACENS:
1 Mako Vunipola
2 Jamie George (c)
3 Christian Judge
4 Maro Itoje
5 Hugh Tizard
6 Theo McFarland
7 Ben Earl
8 Billy Vunipola
9 Ivan van Zyl
10 Alex Goode
11 Alex Lewington
12 Nick Tompkins
13 Lucio Cinti
14 Sean Maitland
15 Elliot Daly
REPLACEMENTS:
16 Theo Dan
17 Eroni Mawi
18 Marco Riccioni
19 Juan Martin Gonzalez
20 Tom Willis
21 Gareth Simpson
22 Manu Vunipola
23 Olly Hartley
