Preview: Saracens v Northampton

Saracens will once again welcome Aviva Premiership rivals Northampton Saints to Vicarage Road in the first round of the LV=Cup on Sunday.

In team news ahead of the game, England U20s duo Jamie George and Jackson Wray both start the game. George makes his first start for Sarries at hooker while after a series of impressive displays on loan at Bedford Blues; Wray is given the nod at number eight.

In other news, Hugh Vyvyan captains the side while Andy Saull and Adam Powell also return to the starting XV. Nils Mordt starts at fly-half with Alex Goode reverting to full-back.

On the bench, Ethienne Reynecke, Deon Carstens and Carlos Nieto make up the replacement front-row while Kevin Barrett returns to the matchday squad after England 7s duty at the Commonwealth Games.

Speaking ahead of the game, Saracens Director of Rugby Brendan Venter said: "Northampton Saints continue to show their strength and quality and their performances in recent weeks have been impressive. Jim Mallinder and Dorian West have built a strong and talented squad and it should be an exciting and hard-fought game.

"We cannot hide from the fact that everyone was disappointed with the result against Exeter Chiefs last weekend. We will learn from last week and take those lessons into the next game. We know that we get energy from playing to the strengths of our game and that is what we will focus on."

Meanwhile, Saints Director of rugby Jim Mallinder reiterated the importance of the LV= Cup to the continued development of Northampton's squad.

Mallinder and the rest of the Saints coaches used 34 players on their unbeaten route to the 2009/10 LV= Cup title. The Saints boss on Friday said that 2010/11 will be no different, even though the campaign includes tough trips like this weekend's to Vicarage Road.

"There are plenty of players who have been putting in good performances in the 'A' League and are eager to show what they can do in the first team," he commented.

"They have also been training very hard on the pitch and in the gym and have been helping keep our standards high.

"It is also a tough season and there are times when you need to give players a break. But this is still a massive opportunity for the guys who are coming into the team."

A number of players will be making their Saints senior debuts on Sunday, including Senior Academy players Jamie Elliott and Ben Nutley. The team will be led by Calum Clark, who skippered England's Under-20s to the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship final.

"We have full confidence in the team that we have selected to get a positive result on Sunday's game," Mallinder added.

"Everyone who has been chosen deserves their opportunity to wear the Saints jersey."

The teams:

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 David Strettle, 13 Kameli Ratuvou, 12 Adam Powell, 11 Michael Tagicakibau, 10 Nils Mordt, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Andy Saull, 6 Jacques Burger, 5 Hayden Smith, 4 Hugh Vyvyan (capt), 3 Richard Skuse, 2 Jamie George, 1 Matt Parr.
Replacements: 16 Ethienne Reynecke, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Carlos Nieto, 19 George Kruis, 20 Justin Melck, 21 Kevin Barrett, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 James Short.

Northampton: 15 Greig Tonks, 14 Paul Diggin, 13 Joe Ansbro, 12 Matt Cornwell, 11 Jamie Elliott, 10 Shane Geraghty, 9 Ryan Powell, 8 Mark Easter, 7 Ben Nutley, 6 Calum Clark (capt), 5 Dan Sanderson, 4 Mark Sorenson, 3 Tom Mercey, 2 Brett Sharman, 1 Regardt Dreyer.
Replacements: 16 Andy Long, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Adam Parkins, 19 Tom Hicks, 20 James Ingle, 21 Stuart Commins, 22 Joe Ford, 23 Charlie Sadler.

Date: Sunday, November 7
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Venue: Vicarage Road