Saracens

Sarries to face England at Middlesex 7s
Saracens will face England in their opening game at the Middlesex 7s on Saturday August 14th at Twickenham. Playing as England Help for Heroes, Sevens national coach Ben Ryan plans to use the tournament as part of his preparations for the Commonwealth Games. And they aren't the only national side taking part. Kenya are also in action at the 16-team tournament while the Samurai side is being coached by Joe Lydon, Josh Lewsey, Phil Greening and Mike Friday. The tournament is played as a straight knockout with the first round losers going into a Plate competition. The first round draw is as follows; Match 1 (10.30) London Irish v Leicester Tigers Match 2 (10.50) HFW Wailers v Exeter Chiefs Match 3 (11.10) London Wasps v Newcastle Falcons Match 4 (11.30) Saracens v England's Help for Heroes Match 5 (11.50) The British Army v Scotland's Thistle Trust Match 6 (12.10) Kenya 7s v Leeds Carnegie Match 7 (12.30) Wales' Amser Justin Time v Harlequins Match 8 (12.50) White Hart Marauders v ULR Samurai International This year there is a £30,000 prize pot where the competition winner takes £17,500, the runners up £7,500 and the Plate winners £5,000. Off the field, there is a full day of activities with karaoke, cheerleaders, brass band, face painters, souvenir photos, inflatable obstacle course and castle, Rodeo Rugby Ball, Human Demolition Zone, MegaSlide and a Rugby Speed Cage. The Middlesex Charity Sevens is run in aid of two main rugby charities RFU’s IPF and RPA but many other charities benefit through ticket sales and donations, including Help for Heroes. Ticket prices from £20. Kids Go Free. See www.MiddlesexCharitySevens.com

Pre-season friendly kick off changes
Saracens face Connacht at the Galway Sportsground on Saturday 21st August and the kick off for the game has now been confirmed as 6.30pm. Please also note that the game against Bedford Blues on Tuesday 17th August at Goldington Road is now a 7.45pm kick-off. A full list of Saracens pre-season fixtures is below. Saracens pre-season fixtures Wednesday 4th August - Bayonne v Saracens, Stade Jean Dauger, KO 6.30pm and 8pm Sunday 8th August – Bordeaux Begles v Saracens, Capbreton Stadium, KO 6.30pm Sunday 15th August – Saracens v Esher, Old Albanians, KO 3pm Tuesday 17th August – Bedford Blues v Saracens, Goldington Road, KO 7.45pm Wednesday 18th August – Saracens v US All Stars, Old Albanians, 7.30pm Saturday 21st August – Connacht v Saracens, Galway Sportsground, KO 6.30pm Wednesday 25th August – Saracens v Treviso, Vicarage Road (subject to Carling Cup draw), KO 7.30pm

The Saracens Six-Pack - flexible, easy and affordable
Launched today, the Saracens Six-Pack gives you the flexibility to attend six Saracens matches of your choice in the 2010/11 season – starting at just £75 for adults and £25 for juniors. It’s flexible, easy and affordable. At Saracens, we understand that buying a full season-ticket does not suit everybody’s needs. Even with the introduction of the Members’ Discount Directory, offering season-ticket holders substantial discounts on a wide range of high street brands and services, supporters may not be able to attend every match. So we have created the ‘Saracens Six-Pack’ – a flexible, easy & affordable way of reserving your seat at the SIX matches you really want to watch in the coming season. This package will suit supporters who may have other commitments on some weekends or perhaps who are studying away from home. 1. YOU DECIDE the section of the ground – platinum, gold, silver or red-and-black 2. YOU RECEIVE six vouchers to be redeemed against any regular season home match during the 2010/11 season 3. When you’re ready, YOU DECIDE the six matches (Vicarage Road or Wembley, Aviva Premiership or Heineken Cup) you would like to attend 4. YOU GUARANTEE your seat to see Saracens in action in 2010/11. Prices start at £75 for adults and £25 for juniors. Please note the Saracens Six-Pack is only available until Friday September 10th, 2010. Saracens Six-Pack Prices Platinum Adult £239; Concessions (65+) £239; Junior £239 Gold Adult £169; Concessions £119; Junior £69 Silver Adult £99; Concessions £75; Junior £49 Red & Black Adult £75; Concessions £59; Junior £25 For more information and to book your six-pack, please call the club ticket office at 01727 792 800. Click below to download a poster promoting the Saracens Six-Pack - please pass it on to your family and friends.

Season Ticket Holders BBQ at Esher game
Saracens face Esher at Old Albanians on Sunday 15th August, kick off 3pm, and the match will also be the traditional Season Ticket Holders BBQ. All 2010/11 Season Ticket Holders receive a free ticket for the match and by now, you should have received the letter and form in the post. If you have not received this form, please contact the Ticket Office on 01727 792800. Please also be aware that additional tickets for the game are available at £5 for adults and £2 for juniors. The match will be the first chance on English soil for Sarries fans to see the 2010/11 squad with new faces such as Kelly Brown, David Strettle and Richard Wigglesworth in action. On top of that, there will be plenty of fun and games off the pitch with the BBQ, bouncy castles, player autograph sessions and a merchandise fashion show. Gates open at 12 noon – see you there.

A Grand Day out at Garmin
The Saracens squad spent Friday last week at the headquarters of new main club sponsor Garmin in Southampton. In the morning, the players trained at local rugby club Trojans where invited schools were able to watch training and then speak to members of the Saracens coaching and playing staff. After lunch, it was off to Garmin for an afternoon with the staff and their families at the company with games of tag rugby, kicking contests, passing drills and speed tests the order of the afternoon - and much fun was had by all as you can see from our pictures of the day.

Beat the queues - book your 2010/11 Vicarage Road car parking
Will you be driving to Vicarage Road for Saracens home matches this season? If so, why not beat the queues and secure a place in one of Saracens official matchday car parks which are on sale now. The stewarded car parks are all less than 10 minutes walk from the stadium and not only are they in the best possible locations, but by securing your parking for the entire season, you also avoid post match queues at pay machines. But hurry as there are only a limited number of spaces left - so book now to avoid missing out. Saracens offer parking at the following locations: Chater Junior School - £95 Laurence Haines School - £95 Watford Girls School - £100 Garage Car Park (blue badge holders) - £100 Call the Ticket Office on 01727 792800 to book your parking.

Venter excited by the season ahead
Saracens head to France next week for the first of their warm-up matches and Director of Rugby Brendan Venter is delighted with the results of the squad in the first three weeks of pre-season training. With some of the speed and fitness testing results described as ‘phenomenal’ by Venter, his squad heads to France next week for matches against Bayonne and Bordeaux Begles and looking ahead to a season that also sees them take on the best of Europe in the Heineken Cup. Venter said: “Things are going exceptionally well. We have the base of last season to build on along with some exciting new faces joining the squad. The players have come back in terrific shape with some phenomenal results in the first few days of fitness testing and they continue to prove they are an exciting group of players.” Venter also revealed that technology has had an important part to play in pre-season with the players’ performance throughout every session measure by GPS and heart rate monitors. “We can tell how far and where they are running and at what intensity they are working in every session,” he explained. “We even keep stats on the contributions they are making in our fitness games and it’s important to constantly measure things.” Sarries face seven warm-up matches ahead of the start of the Aviva Premiership Rugby season on September 4 against London Irish at Twickenham and Venter explained he will be utilising the entire squad during this time. He added: “We have a squad system at Saracens so actually, when you work it out, the players will be getting around three and a half games each. Not only is it going to be exciting to see the development of our existing group of players, but also the new faces and those guys from the Academy who are really showing us some great results.” Sarries return to France in October for the opening round of the Heineken Cup against French Champions Clermont Auvergne in a group that also includes Racing Metro and former champions Leinster. Venter added: “We’ve said from day one that this is a process at Saracens and the next step is competing against the best in Europe. Last year we didn’t do that, so that is something we are really looking forward to. We are very privileged to be at this club with a fantastic group of players and a coaching staff who are such a positive group of people. It’s a real pleasure coming to work.”

Wiggy finding Saracens the perfect fit
England scrum half Richard Wigglesworth has quickly settled into life with Saracens and can’t wait for the start of the new Aviva Premiership on Saturday 4th September when his new club faces London Irish at Twickenham as part of the London Double Header. The England scrum half joined Saracens from Sale Sharks in the summer and having spent three weeks with his new club, he admitted he’s loved every minute of it. He said: “There really is a special atmosphere and everyone is here to work hard and win, but there’s also a lot of enjoyment in the squad which makes it a great place to be. “It was a massive decision to leave Sale Sharks. I’d been there for nine years, but Saracens is a club going places and I want to be part of it. “I just felt that if I hadn’t have left Sale at that point, I probably never would. I wanted to experience something different and come to the best club I possibly could. I want to challenge myself, hear new voices, win trophies and also enjoy myself along the way and Saracens ticked all those boxes." And the 27-year-old, who toured with England in the summer, is keen to push for further international honours. He said: “There’s great competition in the squad at scrum half with Neil de Kock and Kevin Barrett and I want to challenge myself to be a better player - hopefully that will lead to more honours and me forcing my way back into an England shirt.” Watch the full depth interview with Richard Wigglesworth in the latest edition of Sarries TV.

Jubb to make England debut
Saracens lock Tom Jubb will win his first cap for England Under 18 when they face France in South Africa later today. The 6ft 7in 17-year-old from Luton, a product of the Fullerians and Letchworth clubs, is the only debutant in the starting line-up for the game in George. A product of the Oaklands College Rugby Programme, Jubb is joined in the matchday 22 by fellow Saracens Ben Ransom and Nick Auterac, another Oaklands College student, and it is great reward for their dedication while continuing to represent the Saracens Academy at the highest level. England have won their last 18 internationals at this level and will be aiming to emulate their 33-16 win over France at Newbury in February. They opened their three-match tour of South Africa with a 35-10 win against a Namibia Invitation XV in East London last Friday and head coach John Fletcher has made 10 changes to the starting side for France. The changes include lock George Merrick (Whitgift and Harlequins) and wing Mark Jennings (Lymm HS & Sale Sharks) making their first appearances of the trip, a new front row and a positional switch with Joel Hodgson (RGS Newcastle & Newcastle Falcons) moving from scrum half to fly half with Dan Robson (Hartpury College & Gloucester Rugby) alongside him.

Heineken Cup fixture schedule confirmed
Saracens will begin their 2010/11 Heineken Cup challenge with a clash at French champions Clermont Auvergne. Sarries travel to the Stade Marcel Michelin on Saturday 9th October while the following weekend in round two, Leinster are the visitors to Saracens on Saturday 16th October, kick off is 5.45pm. The back to back fixtures in December sees Saracens player Racing Metro 92. In round three, the Paris-based side makes the trip across the English Channel on Saturday 11th December, kick off is 3.30pm. In round four, Sarries travel to Paris on Friday 17th December, kick off is 9pm at the Stade Yves du Manoir. All of Saracens fixtures in the opening four rounds will be broadcast live on TV. Saracens travel to Leinster in round five on the weekend of 14/15/16 January 2011 and finish the pool stages with a home clash against Clermont Auvergne on the weekend of 21/22/23 January. The fixtures for rounds five and six will be confirmed upon the completion of round four. HEINEKEN CUP 2010 / 2011 FIXTURES (All kick-offs LOCAL time) ROUND 1 FRIDAY 8 OCTOBER, 2010 Pool 1 Northampton Saints v Castres Olympique 20.00 Sky Sports Pool 4 Ulster Rugby v Aironi Rugby 19.30 Pool 6 Glasgow Warriors v Newport Gwent Dragons 19.30 SATURDAY 9 OCTOBER, 2010 Pool 1 Cardiff Blues v Edinburgh 17.45 S4C* Pool 2 Leinster v Racing-Metro 92 13.30 Sky Sports Pool 2 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Saracens 16.30 FR2 Pool 3 Toulon v Ospreys 14.30 Canal+ Pool 3 London Irish v Munster 17.45 Sky Sports Pool 5 Benetton Treviso v Leicester Tigers 14.30 Sky Italia Pool 5 Scarlets v Perpignan 15.30 Sky Sports SUNDAY 10 OCTOBER, 2010 Pool 4 Bath Rugby v Biarritz Olympique 13.00 Sky Sports Pool 6 Toulouse v London Wasps 16.00 FR2* *Highlights ROUND 2 FRIDAY 15 OCTOBER, 2010 Pool 1 Castres Olympique v Cardiff Blues 21.00 Canal+ Pool 3 Ospreys v London Irish 20.00 Sky Sports SATURDAY 16 OCTOBER, 2010 Pool 1 Edinburgh v Northampton Saints 13.30 Sky Sports Pool 2 Racing-Metro 92 v ASM Clermont Auvergne 14.30 Canal+ Pool 2 Saracens v Leinster 17.45 Sky Sports Pool 3 Munster v Toulon 15.30 Sky Sports Pool 4 Aironi Rugby v Bath Rugby 14.30 Sky Italia Pool 6 Newport Gwent Dragons v Toulouse 17.45 S4C* SUNDAY 17 OCTOBER, 2010 Pool 4 Biarritz Olympique v Ulster Rugby 16.00 FR2 Pool 5 Leicester Tigers v Scarlets 15.00 Sky Sports Pool 5 Perpignan v Benetton Treviso 14.00 Canal+ Pool 6 London Wasps v Glasgow Warriors 13.00 Sky Sports * Highlights ROUND 3 FRIDAY 10 DECEMBER, 2010 Pool 6 Glasgow Warriors v Toulouse 20.00 Sky Sports SATURDAY 11 DECEMBER, 2010 Pool 1 Northampton Saints v Cardiff Blues 17.45 Sky Sports Pool 1 Castres Olympique v Edinburgh 18.45 Canal+ Pool 2 Saracens v Racing-Metro 92 15.30 Sky Sports Pool 4 Ulster Rugby v Bath Rugby 13.30 Sky Sports Pool 4 Aironi Rugby v Biarritz Olympique 14.30 Sky Italia Pool 5 Perpignan v Leicester Tigers 14.30 Canal+ Pool 5 Scarlets v Benetton Treviso 15.00 SUNDAY 12 DECEMBER, 2010 Pool 2 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Leinster 16.00 FR2 Pool 3 London Irish v Toulon 15.00 Sky Sports Pool 3 Munster v Ospreys 13.00 Sky Sports Pool 6 Newport Gwent Dragons v London Wasps 13.00 S4C* * Highlights ROUND 4 FRIDAY 17 DECEMBER, 2010 Pool 2 Racing-Metro 92 v Saracens 21.00 Canal+ Pool 4 Biarritz Olympique v Aironi Rugby 19.00 SATURDAY 18 DECEMBER, 2010 Pool 2 Leinster v ASM Clermont Auvergne 17.45 Sky Sports Pool 3 Toulon v London Irish 16.30 FR2 Pool 3 Ospreys v Munster 15.30 Sky Sports Pool 4 Bath Rugby v Ulster Rugby 13.30 Sky Sports Pool 5 Benetton Treviso v Scarlets 14.30 Sky Italia Pool 6 Toulouse v Glasgow Warriors 14.30 Canal+ SUNDAY 19 DECEMBER, 2010 Pool 1 Cardiff Blues v Northampton Saints 15.00 S4C* Pool 1 Edinburgh v Castres Olympique 14.00 Pool 5 Leicester Tigers v Perpignan 15.00 Sky Sports Pool 6 London Wasps v Newport Gwent Dragons 13.00 Sky Sports * Highlights ROUND 5 14 / 15 / 16 JANUARY, 2011 Pool 1 Cardiff Blues v Castres Olympique Pool 1 Northampton Saints v Edinburgh Pool 2 Leinster v Saracens Pool 2 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Racing-Metro 92 Pool 3 Toulon v Munster Pool 3 London Irish v Ospreys Pool 4 Bath Rugby v Aironi Rugby Pool 4 Ulster Rugby v Biarritz Olympique Pool 5 Benetton Treviso v Perpignan Pool 5 Scarlets v Leicester Tigers Pool 6 Toulouse v Newport Gwent Dragons Pool 6 Glasgow Warriors v London Wasps ROUND 6 21 / 22 / 23 JANUARY, 2011 Pool 1 Castres Olympique v Northampton Saints Pool 1 Edinburgh v Cardiff Blues Pool 2 Saracens v ASM Clermont Auvergne Pool 2 Racing-Metro 92 v Leinster Pool 3 Munster v London Irish Pool 3 Ospreys v Toulon Pool 4 Aironi Rugby v Ulster Rugby Pool 4 Biarritz Olympique v Bath Rugby Pool 5 Perpignan v Scarlets Pool 5 Leicester Tigers v Benetton Treviso Pool 6 Newport Gwent Dragons v Glasgow Warriors Pool 6 London Wasps v Toulouse QUARTER-FINALS 8 / 9 / 10 APRIL, 2011 SEMI-FINALS 30 APRIL / 1 MAY, 2011 16th HEINEKEN CUP FINAL 21 / 22 MAY, 2011 – MILLENNIUM STADIUM, CARDIFF

Blues and Saracens announce player link-up
Bedford Blues and Saracens have confirmed that seven English Academy players will be joining the Goldington Road club on dual registration for the coming 2010/11 Championship season. The Blues will be welcoming back the likes of James Short, Owen Farrell, Jake Sharp, George Kruis and Will Fraser, while also welcoming promising youngsters Luke Baldwin and Jackson Wray. Baldwin is a highly rated 19 year old scrum half who will provide plenty of competition for the number nine shirt. Number Eight Wray, also 19, recently featured in the Junior World Cup and has already featured in the Saracens first team in the EDF Energy Cup against the Scarlets in 2008. Second row forward Kruis made two appearances in England’s U20 RBS 6 Nations campaign and also featured in the recent World Championships off the back of an outstanding season for Saracens Storm in the Premiership A League. Farrell, 18, who can play in the centre or at fly half, made a debut for the Blues in the British and Irish Cup against London Welsh last season coming off the bench and converting a penalty. Also debuting in the same game was pacey winger Short who showed an explosive turn off pace that cut the Exiles defence to shreds. Fly half Sharp, 19, is another player who played for the Blues last season and he will provide competition for Myles Dorrian at 10 while 6ft 2ins tall Fraser offers even more fire power in the back row. Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer said: "We are delighted to welcome back a number of Saracens’ youngsters who we know very well, as well as a couple of potentially exciting players who will all play an important role in the Championship season. "Our relationship with Saracens has developed very well and dual registration offers us and them the chance to help develop promising young English players. All these players know full well that they have to cement a starting place in the Blues team before they can push for a place in the Saracens side. "There is no doubt that these guys are talented players, we hope they can go on and reach their full potential. These signings will certainly raise the bar amongst the squad we have already put together.” Brendan Venter, Saracens Director of Rugby, said: “We are eager for our outstanding young players to play as much rugby as possible, and we are delighted to have secured an excellent partner in Bedford. Our Academy is rightly admired around the country, and we believe this arrangement will work well for both clubs.”

Premiership Rugby Sevens - The Night In Pictures
Saracens were the winners of the first Premiership Rugby Sevens event at The Stoop on Friday night - winning all three of their pool matches. Wins over London Irish, Harlequins and Wasps means Sarries are now in the finals of the event which will take place at The Rec on Friday August 5. The remaining two legs of the competition take place over the next two weeks with the likes of Bath, Leicester and Northampton all in action - so keep a look out for the results to see who Sarries will face in the finals.

Sarries book place in sevens finals
Saracens won the London leg of the JP Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby Sevens at The Stoop on Friday night to book a place at the finals next month. Three wins in their three games against London Irish, Harlequins and Wasps secured a place in the finals of the competition on Friday August 5 at The Rec in Bath. Sarries started the evening with a 29-0 win over London Irish and followed that up with a 21-5 victory over Harlequins before wrapping up the evening with a 19-10 win over Wasps. Saracens got off to a flying start in their opening game of the tournament with a 29-0 victory over London Irish. Jackson Wray struck with an early double, finding space out wide to go in the corner on both occasions and then Kevin Barrett sniped around the back of a scrum to run home from 30 metres to give Sarries a 15-0 lead at half time. After the break, Nils Mordt crossed and converted his own score and then replacement Owen Farrell was on the end of a pass from Jake Sharp to score. Sharp converted to round of the scoring. With only a few minutes rest between matches, Sarries were next up against Harlequins. Quins dominated possession in the opening two minutes of the game but Sarries defence held firm. With their first attack, a sweeping move ended with George Kruis crossing in the corner. A loose ball on halfway was collected by Barrett with six minutes on the clock and after spotting the Quins defence very flat, he chased down his own kick ahead to score. Mordt converted. After the break, another flowing move ended with an almost identical score for Kruis, but this time the second row’s show and go saw him step inside his man and cross the line. Mordt converted. Quins managed a late consolation scored but the 21-5 victory set up the final game of the evening against Wasps. Kruis picked up where he left off in the final match of the evening, running in a fantastic score with just two minutes on the clock which was converted by Sharp. A turnover on the Wasps line extended the lead when the dancing feet of Jake Sharp took him over the line and he converted his own score. The victory was wrapped up midway through the second half when Luke Baldwin collected a loose ball on his own 22 and raced all the way to the line. Two consolation scores for Wasps made the final score 19-10 as Sarries marched into the finals. Game 1: Saracens 29 London Irish 0 Saracens Scorers Tries: Wray (2), Barrett, Mordt, Farrell Cons: Mordt, Sharp Game 2: Saracens 21 Harlequins 5 Saracens Scorers Tries: Kruis (2), Barrett Cons: Mordt (3) Game 3: Saracens London Wasps Saracens Scorers Tries: Kruis, Sharp, Baldwin Cons: Sharp (2)

Squad named for rugby sevens series opener
Saracens are in action on Friday night for the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series at The Stoop and have included new signing Nils Mordt in their squad for the London leg of the tournament. England sevens international Mordt, who made the move from Quins to Saracens this summer, is part of the 12-man squad that also includes fellow England international sevens star Kevin Barrett while England Saxons wing Noah Cato is also part of the squad. England U20s players Jake Sharp, George Kruis and Jackson Wray are also in the squad alongside Owen Farrell, Luke Baldwin, Henry Staff and Jamie Bache. Former Saracens Academy player Jamie Hearn plays as a guest while Dave Vincent from Barking RFC completes the squad. The tournament starts at 7.30pm when Harlequins play Wasps with Sarries due on at 7.55pm when they play London Irish in the first of their three games on the night. Tickets are available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk priced £10 adults and £5 juniors. Saracens Squad 1 George Kruis 2 Jackson Wray 3 Nils Mordt 4 Jamie Bache 5 Henry Staff 6 Owen Farrell 7 Kevin Barrett 8 Luke Baldwin 9 Jake Sharp 10 Noah Cato 11 Dave Vincent 12 Jamie Hearn Match Running Order 19.30 - Harlequins v London Wasps 19.55 - Saracens v London Irish 20.25 - Saracens v Harlequins 20.50 - London Wasps v London Irish 21.20 - Harlequins v London Irish 21.45 - Saracens v London Wasps

London Double Header - tickets on sale now
The Aviva Premiership action starts on Saturday 4th September when Saracens face London Irish in the London Double Header at Twickenham – and tickets for the game are on sale now. The action starts at 2pm with the clash against the Exiles but don’t forget that tickets for the double header include entry to both matches – so not only do you get to enjoy Sarries in action, but you also get to watch Wasps against Harlequins which kicks off at 4pm. Remember that if you are a Saracens Season Ticket Holder, entry to the double header is free as part of your season ticket – but you must claim it in advance. And all season ticket holders qualify for a 20% discount on all tickets they book for their friends and family. Last season, Sarries got their season off an running with a victory over the Exiles at Twickenham that was to be the start of a 10 match unbeaten run in the Premiership and this season’s grand opener promises to be even better with the likes of new signings David Strettle, Richard Wigglesworth and Kelly Brown all pushing to be part of the starting line-up on September 4. Tickets are on sale now to all non season ticket holders priced £45, £30 and £10 and are available through the Saracens Ticket Office on 01727 792800. Remember, all season ticket holders must claim their free tickets – call the ticket office for more details.

Sarries in Sevens action on Friday night
Saracens are in action on Friday night for the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series at The Stoop. The squad for the tournament will be named later this week but Sarries are first in action against London Irish at 7.55pm so make sure you are there to watch the first action of the season. Match Running Order 19.30 - Harlequins v London Wasps 19.55 - Saracens v London Irish 20.25 - Saracens v Harlequins 20.50 - London Wasps v London Irish 21.20 - Harlequins v London Irish 21.45 - Saracens v London Wasps The exciting new 7s competition is coming to Premiership Rugby grounds on Friday evenings in July and August. The innovative tournament, which will involve all 12 Premiership Rugby clubs, will create a fantastic new opportunity for rugby fans to watch their favourite clubs play during the summer. With 7s rugby playing an increasingly prominent role over the summer months, and the IRB Sevens Series featuring a number of talented Premiership players, the Premiership Rugby clubs are pitting themselves against each other to see who boasts the best upcoming stars of the 7s world. This means an opportunity for supporters to have a great night out and enjoy non-stop entertainment at each venue. There'll be a festival atmosphere with activities to keep supporters of all ages entertained. Tickets are also available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk priced £10 adults and £5 juniors. The format The 12 Premiership Rugby clubs will be divided into three groups for the tournament, with the winner and runner up of each regional event going through to the Final. There will be six games per evening, with each match consisting of two 7 minute halves with a 2 minute break at half-time. Games will start at 7.30pm and finish by 10pm and will include music and entertainment making each event an exciting summer evening out for the family. The schedule Friday 16th July 2010, The Twickenham Stoop - J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series Group A: Harlequins, Saracens, London Irish, London Wasps Friday 23rd July 2010, Welford Road - J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series Group B: Leeds Carnegie, Leicester Tigers, Newcastle Falcons, Sale Sharks Friday 30th July, Franklin's Gardens - J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series Group C: Bath Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester Rugby, Northampton Saints Friday 6th August, Venue The Rec - J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series Final: Featuring the winner and runner up from each Group.

Join us on Facebook and win!
David Staines and Jenney Davies have both won four tickets each to the first Saracens home game of the season just by becoming a fan of Saracens on our official page on facebook - why don't you do the same. We picked two winners because it is the first competition on our Facebook page and also a great way to launch the new season. Our congratulations to them both. We will be picking a winner every month to win tickets to our matches and also launching special discounts for our facebook fans. Join us today by clicking on the link below: Official Saracens Facebook Page If we get to over 10,000 fans on facebook there will be a VERY special offer just for our facebook following. As well as competitions, you’ll find all the latest news from the training ground, video highlights, photos and much much more. It’s just one click: Official Saracens Facebook Page Click here

2010/11 LV=Cup draw announced
The 2010/11 LV=Cup sees Saracens face Northampton Saints, Gloucester, Sale Sharks and the Scarlets in the pool stages. Sarries are home to Northampton Saints in round one and then Sale Sharks in round four along with trips to Gloucester and the Scarlets. Terry Burwell, LV= Cup Director, said: “Last season’s tournament produced some great rugby and in the final, one of the stand out games of the season. “We are very much looking forward to the second year of a competition structure that not only helps players, coaches and officials develop but also provides more revenue potential for the English Premiership clubs and the Welsh regions. "We have a committed broadcaster in Sky Sports for the next five years, plus coverage in Wales from S4C, and we would like to thank LV= for supporting the Rugby Football Union, Premiership Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union and the teams themselves in the delivery of elite knockout rugby.” David Radford, LV= Group Marketing Director, said: “LV= is strongly committed to rugby and our sponsorship of the Anglo-Welsh tournament. We are looking forward to another year of high quality, competitive rugby.” - The LV= Cup is a 16-team competition involving the 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs and 4 Welsh regions. - Played in four pools of four with three English clubs and one Welsh region in each pool - English clubs have been allocated to the pools depending on their finish in last season's Premiership - Welsh regions have been allocated to the pools to avoid repeating fixtures from the Heineken and Amlin Challenge cups where possible - Teams in Pool 1 play teams in Pool 4 and teams in Pool 2 play teams in Pool 3 - Each team plays four pool matches - two home and two away - with the top team from each pool qualifying for the semi finals. Pool 1 Leicester Tigers London Wasps Newcastle Falcons Cardiff Blues Pool 2 Saracens London Irish Leeds Carnegie Dragons Pool 3 Northampton Saints Gloucester Rugby Sale Sharks Scarlets Pool 4 Bath Rugby Harlequins Exeter Chiefs Ospreys Round 1 (weekend of November 6, 2010) Bath Rugby v Cardiff Blues Exeter Chiefs v London Wasps Newcastle Falcons v Ospreys Leicester Tigers v Harlequins Sale Sharks v London Irish Saracens v Northampton Saints Dragons v Gloucester Rugby Scarlets v Leeds Carnegie Round 2 (weekend of November 13, 2010) Harlequins v Newcastle Falcons London Wasps v Bath Rugby Cardiff Blues v Exeter Chiefs Ospreys v Leicester Tigers Gloucester Rugby v Saracens Leeds Carnegie v Sale Sharks Northampton Saints v Dragons London Irish v Scarlets Round 3 (weekend of January 29, 2011) Exeter Chiefs v Leicester Tigers London Wasps v Harlequins Bath Rugby v Newcastle Falcons Cardiff Blues v Ospreys Leeds Carnegie v Gloucester Rugby Sale Sharks v Dragons London Irish v Northampton Saints Scarlets v Saracens Round 4 (weekend of February 5, 2011) Leicester Tigers v Bath Rugby Newcastle Falcons v Exeter Chiefs Ospreys v London Wasps Harlequins v Cardiff Blues Gloucester Rugby v London Irish Saracens v Sale Sharks Northampton Saints v Leeds Carnegie Dragons v Scarlets Semi finals (weekend of March 12, 2011, venue TBC) Final (weekend of March 19, 2011, venue TBC)

Strettle excited by switch to Saracens
Saracens David Strettle has spent the first week training with his new club and the England international wing is already excited by the start of the new season. After making the move around the M25 from London neighbours Harlequins, Strettle has quickly settled into life as a Saracen – helped by the fact that he’s been surrounded by familiar faces. “Things have been going really well and all the players have really helped me settle in,” explained Strettle who celebrates his 27th birthday later this month. “It’s helped knowing a number of the guys. Obviously, having played Premiership rugby for many years I know a lot of the players and I’ve also just got back off tour with players like Richard Wigglesworth and Brad Barritt. I also know Andy Farrell really well from playing alongside him with England a few years ago. “But I’m delighted to have made the move and this is a club that a lot of people want to play at, especially when you see the kind of rugby that Saracens have been playing.” It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Strettle having joined up with Saracens and also celebrating a return to the England EPS squad. He added: “I knew when I went on tour with England over the summer that I might not get any test time, but my main aim was to take any chances I could get and work my way back into the EPS squad and then to concentrate on trying to get into the World Cup squad. “But that’s a long way off and if you take care of things domestically, then internationally they will take care of themselves. As a new player at a club you want to show your team mates and fans what you are about so I am looking forward to a lot of hard work over what should be an enjoyable season.” Watch a full interview with the new Saracens signing in the latest edition of Sarries TV on www.saracens.com

First live TV fixtures confirmed for 2010/11 season
Saracens clash against London Irish as part of the London Double Header kicks off the live TV coverage of the new Aviva Premiership season on ESPN. In the first batch of live fixtures announced by the broadcaster, Saracens feature in four out of the opening five weeks with the game against London Irish at Twickenham followed by the game against Sale Sharks at Vicarage Road in round two on Sunday 12th September, KO 2.15pm. In round four, the clash against Northampton Saints is also live at Vicarage Road, kick off 3pm on Sunday 26th September while the re-run of the 2009 final against Leicester Tigers is also live in Watford on Sunday 3rd October, kick off 4.30pm. In December 2009, ESPN and Premiership Rugby agreed a multi-year deal for exclusive live rights to 43 matches per season from Premiership Rugby, beginning next season and running through to the 2012-2013 season. ESPN plans to cover all of its 43 matches each season on-site at the grounds themselves. From a custom-built set, all pre and post-match discussion and analysis will come live from the game, capturing the environment and adding a new dimension to broadcast coverage of the Premiership Rugby. ESPN’s multiplatform coverage of Aviva Premiership Rugby also includes online coverage at ESPNScrum.com. In addition to live and exclusive TV coverage, fans can get news, analysis and video of Aviva Premiership Rugby. Aviva Premiership Rugby, part of ESPN’s Summer Festival of Sport, adds to ESPN’s established heritage of rugby coverage in the UK and worldwide. In the UK, ESPN delivers live coverage of French Top 14 Orange rugby. ESPN also has an agreement to show archive matches and footage from each of the six Rugby World Cup tournaments to date on ESPN Classic in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Aviva Premiership Rugby builds on ESPN’s established offering of top domestic and international sports from around the world, including Barclays Premier League, Clydesdale Bank Premier League Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A and the UEFA Europa League. Next season, ESPN will further expand its line-up of top-quality, exclusive sports, broadcasting 25 FA Cup fixtures live and exclusively throughout the 2010/11 season. Early-season ESPN telecasts of Aviva Premiership Rugby matches include: September Saturday 4th London Irish v Saracens 2.00pm Saturday 4th London Wasps v Harlequins 4.30pm Saturday 11th Leicester Tigers v Exeter Chiefs 5.30pm Sunday 12th Saracens v Sale Sharks 2.15pm Friday 17th Northampton Saints v Bath Rugby 7.45pm Sunday 19th London Irish v Gloucester Rugby 2.15pm Saturday 25th Gloucester Rugby v London Wasps 2.30pm Sunday 26th Saracens v Northampton Saints 3.00pm October Sunday 3rd Saracens v Leicester Tigers 4.30pm Friday 22nd Leeds Carnegie v Sale Sharks 7.45pm Saturday 23 Leicester Tigers v Bath Rugby 2.30pm Saturday 30th Northampton Saints v Newcastle Falcons 2.30pm Sunday 31st Harlequins v Bath Rugby 2.30pm