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Today

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Today

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15:05

Saracens release full 39-man squad list and 9 departures

By Online Editors

05 Aug 2020

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.

The Breakdown | Episode 28 | remembering Andy Haden

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

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Comments on RugbyPass

GrahamVF 24 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

500k registered players in SA are scoolgoers and 90% of them don't go on to senior club rugby. SA is fed by having hundreds upon hundreds of schools that play rugby - school rugby is an institution of note in SA - but as I say for the vast majority when they leave school that's it.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 30 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

There is a continued murmur in local circles about reciprocal bi annual tours between SA and Argentine. Whether it's full blooded test tours or development tours or a mixture - ie touring with a "test" 20 and a development 20 the cream of which will be used in tests. We actually really enjoy playing the Argies and I believe they enjoy playing us. It goes back seventy years to the Junior Bok tours to Argentine involving Isaac van Heerden.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 38 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

About 500K of those are schoolboys 90% of which will not go on to play club rugby.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 39 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Exactly. Shoo would that it was so easy to develop competitions.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 43 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

SA wealthy? Compared to which countries. The economy is in tatters unemployment is at record low numbers and you think SA has money to spend on rugby development -0 and remember the SARU was technically bankrupt and was only saved by the COVID tour of the B&I Lions. No Sa doesn't have spare cash lying round for rugby development and given the resources SARU is doing just fine.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 46 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

South African domestic rugby is in great shape. Four top tier franchises fed by a series of competitions ranging from national schools competitions through Varsity Cup to Currie Cup and then to top four franchises is a model Australia would do well to follow. SA should never have more than four top domestic teams.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 51 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

That might be the best spin off from SA's involvement north of the line.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 51 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Of course not Nick 😉

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 56 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

We have our own theories about The Sharks. Plumtree is a good coach but he has not done anywhere near the best he could with the talent and money he has at his disposal and it doesn't help to have a marquee director of rugby who has spent by far the majority of his career playing and coaching sevens.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Don't worry - you'll win again soon then you'll feel a lot better. Right now get on with your SH comps and we'll get on with being barely the best in the world.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

JW you really have no idea of how Africa works. It will take generations not decades no matter how much SA puts into it. The poverty in Africa is something that is obviously beyond your understanding. Do you think the governments of impoverished nations are going to watch happily as rugby pours massive investments into infrastructure to promote what is essentially a white western game? And SA was trying hard to develop the game in Africa until the African vote blocked our "23 bid after the independent consultants to the RFU voted unanimously for SA? The Confederation of African Rugby virtually excluded South Africa.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Nick, our association with Argentina Rugby runs very long and deep. We are exploring reciprocal two/three test tours in the future - and even more games at neutral venues such as in Europe where a lot of both teams have players anyway.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

"has SA actually EVER helped to develop another union to maturity like NZ has with Japan," yes - Argentina. You obviously don't know the history of Argentinian rugby. SA were touring there on long development tours in the 1950's

We continued the Junior Bok tours to the Argentine through to the early 70's

My coach at Grey High was Giepie Wentzel who toured Argentine as a fly half. He told me about how every Argentinian rugby club has pictures of Van Heerden and Danie Craven on prominent display. Yes we have developed a nation far more than NZ has done for Japan. And BTW Sa players were playing and coaching in Japan long before the Kiwis arrived. Fourie du Preez and many others were playing there 15 years ago.

"Isaac Van Heerden's reputation as an innovative coach had spread to Argentina, and he was invited to Buenos Aires to help the Pumas prepare for their first visit to South Africa in 1965.[1][2] Despite Argentina faring badly in this tour,[2] it was the start of a long and happy relationship between Van Heerden and the Pumas. Izak van Heerden took leave from his teaching post in Durban, relocated to Argentina, learnt fluent Spanish, and would revolutionise Argentine play in the late 1960s, laying the way open for great players such as Hugo Porta.[1][2] Van Heerden virtually invented the "tight loose" form of play, an area in which the Argentines would come to excel, and which would become a hallmark of their playing style. The Pumas repaid the initial debt, by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park, and emerged as one of the better modern rugby nations, thanks largely to the talents of this Durban schoolmaster.[1]"

After the promise made by Junior Springbok manager JF Louw at the end of a 12-game tour to Argentina in 1959 – ‘I will do everything to ensure we invite you to tour our country’ – there were concerns about the strength of Argentinian rugby. South African Rugby Board president Danie Craven sent coach Izak van Heerden to help the Pumas prepare and they repaid the favour by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Which country do you think was instrumental in developing rugby in Argentina which then spun off into the rest of Latin South America? South Africa was touring Argentine in the 50's with their Junior Bok side on three months development tours. And they didn't do it to cultivare players for the Boks. Regarding Africa you are not taking into account that South Africa itself is an emerging nation. The rugby union has prioritised the development of rugby in South African rural communities with outstanding success.

It has taken 15 years to build the participation of rugby both in playing and watching. For South Africa on its own to build a viable international rugby competition in africa will take generations - not decades. New Zealanders seem to resent the fact that SA has doubled the income of the URC since their inclusion. If New Zealand Rugby hadn't insisted on have a disproportionate slice of the pie in Super Rugby, SA might not have fled the coop.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

I think this debate is avoiding the elephant in the room. Money. According to the URC chief executive Martin Anayi, the inclusion of SA teams has doubled the income of the URC. There is no doubt that the SA teams benefit from the URC but so do the other countries' teams. Perhaps it doesn't affect a club like Leinster but the less well off clubs benefit hugely from South African games' TV income. I don't think SA continued inclusion in the URC is a slam dunk. They don't hold all the cards by a long way - but they do have an ace in the hole. The Ace of Diamonds.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 2 hours ago

How Wallace Sititi humbly reacted to All Blacks Player of the Year honour