Saracens have delightfully confirmed their squad 44-man travelling for the Atlantic Rugby Cup tour of pre-season club in Bermuda.

The team north Londoners are expected to depart to the idyllic island for their six-day tour on Sunday. The island is situated in the North Atlantic. The pre-season tour of the team will have the training camp of three-day a match with the USA Islanders for the Atlantic Rugby Cup. The match will take place in Bermuda.

Saracens British & Irish Lions returning contingent of Jamie George, Owen Farrell, George Kruis, Mako Vunipola, Liam Williams and Maro Itoje, these players will be there on the tour, but will remain unavailable for the Atlantic Rugby Cup matchup selection. The summer recruits Dominic Day, Calum Clark, Kieran Longbottom, Christopher Tolofua and Will Skelton will also be seen in the touring party along with players of the Academy including Ben Earl, Nick Isiekwe, Matt Gallagher, Max Malins, Jack Nay and Dom Morris.

Director of rugby for Saracens, Mark McCall, speaking about the tour said: “This is happening for the first time that we have all been together in this pre-season, and the best part is every player is involved in it. Talking about the Bermuda, it is a place which has everything to help us to prepare for another season of competition. The tour also gives us the chance to inculcate some of the newer faces into the group.”

Saracens touring party at Bermuda includes

• Forwards

Schalk Brits, Richard Barrington, Schalk Burger, Joel Conlon, Calum Clark, Dominic Day, Juan Figallo, Ben Earl, Mark Flanagan, Nick Isiekwe, Jamie George, Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Vincent Koch, Kieran Longbottom, Michael Rhodes, Jack Nay, Will Skelton, Hayden Thompson-Stringer, Scott Spurling, Christopher Tolofua, Mako Vunipola, Billy Vunipola and Jackson Wray.

• Backs

The captain Brad Barritt, Nathan Earle, Marcelo Bosch, Mike Ellery, Matt Gallagher, Owen Farrell, Alex Goode, Alex Lozowski, Tom Griffiths, Sean Maitland, Dom Morris, Ben Spencer, Max Malins, Duncan Taylor, Nick Tompkins, Henry Taylor, Tom Whiteley, Liam Williams, Richard Wigglesworth and Chris Wyles.

Saracens have been drawn in the Champions Cup final to face Clermont after being drawn in the same group as the recently crowned French champions for the 2017-18 season.

Saracens became the fourth team to defend their European title after leading Clermont 28-17 at Murrayfield last month as the fierce rivals will meet again having being drawn together in Pool 2.
The first round will be coming up during the weekend of October 13, 14 and 15 as the final will commence seven months later at the San Mames Stadium, Bilbao, Spain.

Exeter entered Thursday’s draw in Neuchatel, Switzerland, being among the three top seeds and their reward is matches against Leinster, Glasgow and Montpellier in Pool 3.

Leinster lost 27-22 to Clermont in the semi-finals last season, while Glasgow fell to Saracens a round earlier.

A second all-Premiership collision will take place in Pool 1, where beaten domestic finalists Wasps tackle Harlequins, alongside clashes with Ulster and La Rochelle.

The most attritional among all the groups includes Leicester, who have to battle French play-off sides Racing 92 and Castres and lock horns with beaten Pro12 finalists Munster.

Bath, the seventh and final English club involved in next season’s Champions Cup, have been given discouraging home and away fixtures against Toulon and also face Pro12 winners the Scarlets, but can at least take comfort from the presence in Pool 5 of Italian club Benetton.

The appearance of the European two-time runners-up Toulouse dominates the line-up for the Challenge Cup and it is Sale who has been matched with the fallen giants.

Cardiff and Lyon are as well in action in Pool 2, which is the pick of the second tier competition’s groups, and Sharks boss Steve Diamond is aware that a grueling campaign is waiting for them.

With Aviva Premiership league games on full swing Saracens is now in the semi final stage or hope to get there if they are able to beat Glasgow in the forthcoming game.

As per the structure of the league Saracens need to have a win against Glasgow or the forthcoming game in Bordeaux.

If they are able to be victorious over Glasgow in the coming weekend they will be able to make it to the semi finals. Saracens has the leading position as of now in Europe. They would get to have a game in France or Ireland if they are able to defeat Glasgow Warriors. This would be their quarter final match for the Champions Cup.

Indeed, the game looks a daunting one with the likes of players of Toulouse and Munster, who might make the quarter final a difficult one. In contrast the Wasps have a better chance if they defeat Leinster, which would pit them either against Toulon or Clermont Auvergne. Both semi finals are scheduled to play on neutral grounds.

However, with the setup of the six nation tournament, there would some players in any team who would have the home ground advantage no matter which part of Europe the games are scheduled. The game between Glasgow and Saracens would be held at Allianz Park. The winner of the game would play against Toulouse or Munster. If the Scots are able to win the game they will have a home advantage in playing the semi finals. It would also make them the highest ranked among the four teams that would remain to play. It is definitely getting more decisive now as the games move towards the final stages. Fans are gearing up to side their favorite teams and will surely play a crucial part in motivating the players.

The side top Pool 3 of Mark McCall will be one interesting game to watch after tough victories over Scarlets and Toulon in first 2 rounds.

On the other side, Sale Sharks are dreading to begin their European campaign with their rivals. It is certainly not easy as they are getting ready to travel to the home of great champions backed by the reentry of their England Champions.

It was a great win for Saracens last month as they achieved victory by 28-13 at the AJ Bell Stadium for Aviva Premiership. Maro Itoje, who achieved the title of European Rugby Player of the Year, is all set to come back to the London club with his 2nd row partner George Kruis. Besides, Jamie George and Mako Vunipola can also return to show their best performances. Owen Farrell, who is yet another rugby champion has led the way by scoring 35 points and is all geared up to add to that tally on Saturday.

Itoje after returning to action against his rival Bath in the last week is getting restless to return to the European rugby. Itoje said that he gets a chance to play the best in the European rugby and it is higher in terms of quality and standard. It is a great opportunity to be a part of the competition and he is looking forward to play with a lot of enthusiasm. The crowd is getting bigger and bigger and noisier as well this season. It is time that the players show their best performances for the crowd. It is certainly going to be a great encounter as the crowd is always increasing in numbers for these European games.

It is indeed a great and challenging task for the Sharks as they would be playing against the best teams like Saracens with some outstanding players.

Three quarter for Bath, Dan Bowden has said that his club and team mates must avoid being over-awed by Saracens who are currently at the top of the Aviva Premiership table.

Bowden believes that for them to come off victorious, then they need not entertain the fear factor during the entire duration of the game.

The Sarries are the reigning kings of the European Champions Cup and are also at the top of the Premiership table, with a view of taking home a domestic title that would be their third in quick successions.

Mark McCall’s men have only lost once in the Premiership so far in this season but Bowden believes that the fear factor has been a major factor. He says that most of the opponents have already seen themselves as losers even before the game.

And when they carry such mentality into the game, there is no way they can come off victorious.
“They are a very good side, they are so disciplined at sticking to their gameplan and they exit their own half so well.

“It’s going to be a big test for us but one that we are excited for,”

“In recent times, I think a lot of people have counted themselves out before they’ve even played the game.

“We need to be confident, we are back at home and we have been working on a gameplan that we think will be effective against them.

Bowden, who may likely start the game at fly-half believes that if they are capable of sticking to their game plan throughout the entire duration of the game, they might just come off as victors.

He noted that Saracens mode of play involves breaking a team out of their game plan for a few minutes, which could be quite costly.

Saracens is one of the top clubs in the game. They have recently announced their plan to set up a free school in Colindale.

They want to offer a good education to the upcoming talents. Saracens F.C. has acknowledged the acute shortage of secondary schools. They have submitted plans to open more free schools. They plan to make the schools functional by September 2017.

They have formed a trust to open the school. For the school, they are teaming up with the Ashmole Academy in Southgate. They plan to submit the application in March to the concerned department.

If their dream becomes a reality, it will be going to be very helpful for the local talent in Colindale area. They plan to offer six-class entry school. Who will be in charge of running the school? Well, it will involve lots of professionals from both the game and business who share a similar vision. They have an elaborate plan to make sure that the local talents get their due. They want to nurture the best talents they can.

What do the directors have to say about their venture? Well, they want to offer nothing but outstanding education for the kids. They want the children to do well personally and academically. The community director of the club has reiterated the fact that they have always tried to give something back to the community. It wasn’t just about the games and the club. It was also about building a strong community as well. And they continue to believe in their vision to give something back to the community as well.

And most importantly, the greatest gift you can give to someone young is excellent education. And they hope that they will be able to offer that to lots of kids out there if their dream turns into a reality. It is always about nurturing the local talent. The free schools get funding from central government. And the good thing is that local authorities can’t control them.

Three women from Saracens are named in the England international women’s rugby squad to play in the Rugby Europe Grand Prix Sevens Series.

This is very happy news for the Saracens rugby club and a moment to rejoice. The three women that will be taking part in the final leg of the Rugby Europe Grand Prix Sevens Series are Deborah Fleming, Lotte Clpaa and Lauren Cattell. These three women were newly contracted to the Saracens squad.

The Saracens women’s trio will be taking part in the senior sevens circuit along with the four Rio Olympians of the English squad. This is a great opportunity for the women to engage and indulge with the Rio Olympians and to improve their game. The England rugby players were part of two mixed Great Britain squads for the first round of the series that took place in Kazan in Russia. For the second leg, England will be playing as GB Lions and the Wales team will be coming out with a GB Royals squad.

The GB Lions have been drawn in the Pool C as they are seeded number three in the series. They will be having Belgium, Italy and Ireland in their pool and will have to meet each of these teams in the opening rounds. The coach of the GB Lions team, Simon Middleton, is happy with the team that he has got and is excited that a few new names have been included in the squad. All the players in the squad have been brought into the team through the age-grade rugby and will be benefited from taking part in the Sevens series.

The coach said that this would be the first tournament for the team as a separate squad and the experienced Rio Olympians will help and guide the new players to play the tournament and enjoy the experience.

Everywhere the Saracens seem to be in the news. They have dominated the English rugby and are at the top position right now, having won the European double as well as the Premiership. The team is definitely on a high, having clinched the titles in two consecutive years, 2015 and 2016 after 2011.

Saracens have emulated the victory obtained by the Wasps and Leicester Tigers teams. These teams have also clinched a European double as well as a domestic title. Sarries were able to clinch the Premiership title this year by beating Exeter. The score was a close tally, 28-20 that took place at Twickenham. It added to the league crown that they won at the European Champions Cup. This was a few weeks before.

The Wasps had a similar victory in 2004. The Saracens have been able to achieve titles back to back as Leicester did in 2010. There are several reasons that the team has been on a winning high recently. They have featured in continental finals as well as six major leagues of England.

There are several reasons why the team has been dominating
the ruby arena in the continent. They play a squad game every time. Saracens have used about 41 different players when they played the Premiership games. They have utilized all the players fully as they fought on both fronts. The players as well as the management have worked at perfecting the strategies that have led to successes for the whole club. They had a challenging period this spring. They helped England win several torments including the Six Nations Grand Slam. The experience of the team players is considerable. They have played relentlessly and have built up a formidable performance level that has helped them win so many games.

The Player of the Year accolade might not have reached Saracens but they are determined to make up for it.

RPA awards are one of the several chances that come by the way of the teams. Even though Saracens was unable to win that award this time, it has simply strengthened their determination to win some more.

RPA awards represent Rugby Players’ Association. It is an honor that most team players look forward to winning through the respective roles they play for their teams. The Saracens team had been up to try for the Premiership double as well as the European Champions Cup. However, most of the players like George Kruis, Billy Vunipola and Maro Itoje could not make the shortlisted list of five players who were taken up for the honor. Itoje was nominated for the Young Plyer of the Year however. As per the chairman of the club, they are not really bothered about individual accolades as team accolades are more important now.

Hence, the focus of the team is to win more trophies. They have a thousand tries in the Premiership league that has won them third place. Nigel Wray, the chairman of the club, is confident that the level of rugby played by the team is superior. Hence, the team simply needs to keep up their performance levels and deliver on the field. The team has finished on top this regular season. The nominations for RPA mostly consisted of Wasps who were able to impress their peers. The nominations were taken from a ballot that included Premiership player names. One of the reasons could be that the Sarries play their games based on kick chase strategy while Wasps have a running style that impresses the judges more.

Maro Itoje, the England Saxons lock who plies his trade with the Aviva Premiership Rugby Football Union club Saracens FC has committed his long term future with the club by putting pen to paper on a new deal, it has been announced.

The 20 year old, who captained England to the Junior World Cup title was also the leader of the club which won the LV=Cup this season and tying him up to a new deal is a sign of the long term ambitions of the London club.

Standing at 6ft and 5in, the youngster has already amassed 24 appearances for the club and also played a vital role for the club during their Aviva Premiership and the European Rugby Champions Cup campaign. He made his debut for the England Saxons in January, 2015.

Speaking about his new deal, Itoje said that he us incredibly excited to be able to commit his future to Saracens FC, adding that it is a great club that has treated him with a lot of care since he joined as a 14 year old. He mentioned that the club is like a second home to him and he is glad to have been asked to extend his contract.

According to Itoje, the club has been ambitious and has been fighting for some of the biggest honours over the last few seasons. He added that as a professional, it is only natural that a player wants to play in the biggest games and he is hopeful that he can improve a lot over the years and play in the biggest games as well.

Saracens FC Director of Rugby Mark McCall said that the player has progressed a lot in the last two years and the team is glad that he has signed a new long term contract.