By Jason Harris
March 9 2006

If your glass is half full you will say that there is still almost a third of the season to go - rather than just six matches - for Saracens to maintain their Guinness Premiership status. First of the dirty half dozen is a daunting trip to league leaders Sale Sharks on Friday night. Last season Sale blew away nearly everyone when their full complement of ineternational stars was present. Unfortuntately for them they couldn't maintain their momentum when the autumn internationals and Six Nations Championship deprived them of such players as Charlie Hodgson, Jason Robinson and Mark Cueto.

This season, however, they have been picking up points while their international players are away with their respective countries and so the Sharks sit proud atop the Guinness ladder.

Missing for the Sharks will be Hodgson, Cueto, Andrew Sheridan, Jason White - all on international duty - and the suspended Sebastien Chabal.

Philippe Saint Andre can still rely upon some great players to keep his team on course for the end-of-season playoffs: Robinson is now retired and takes his place in an experience back division with Mark Taylor, Robert Todd, Sililo Martens and Steve Hanley.

Starting at outside half will be Valentin Courrent who Sarries will remember well as it was he who booted the last-minute conversion to take last season's Brive European Challenge Cup tie into sudden-death extra time.

The Sale pack is also experienced and features internationals Chris Jones, Andy Titterell (at flanker) and Sebastien Bruno.

Sarries will be without England 7s squad members Richard Haughton, Ben Russell and Dave Seymour along with Ben Skirving who is out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, so the back row of Chesney, Randell and Vyvyan is big, powerful and experienced.

Four former Sharks will return to play against their old team mates; Simon Raiwauli starts at lock along side Tom Ryder while the other three - Matt Cairns, Kevin Yates and Dan Harris - will start on the bench.

Behind the scrum, Sarries will need to keep their defence tight as in spite of having defensive guru Mike Ford in charge, the Men in Black have conceded the most tries of any team in the division. A big responsiblity will rest upon midfield duo Ben Johnston and Kevin Sorrell, and back three Den Scarbrough, Mark Bartholomeusz and Tevita Vaikona to keep the free-scoring fish at bay.

Historically, the home team has normally won this fixture, but Sale notched up their first ever win at Vicarage Road earlier this year with an impressive 40-32 victory.

Sarries are always slow starters in Cheshire and will need to have parity at the very least going into the second quarter. Far too often they have been put behind after early Sale scores and if they do likewise at Edgeley Park, the game at Leeds - now moved to Friday 7 April - will have even greater bearing.

Saracens

Mark Bartholomeusz; Dan Scarbrough, Kevin Sorrell, Ben Johnston, Tevita Vaikona; Glen Jackson, Kyran Bracken; Nick Lloyd, Shane Byrne, Cobus Visagie; Simon Raiwalui, Tom Ryder; Kris Chesney, Taine Randell, Hugh Vyvyan (c).

Replacements: Matt Cairns, Ben Broster, Don Barrell, Kevin Yates, Mosese Rauluni, Dan Harris, Paul Bailey.


Sale Sharks

Jason Robinson; Chris Mayor, Mark Taylor, Robert Todd, Steve Hanley; Valentin Courrent, Sililo Martens; Ben Coutts, Sebastien Bruno, Barry Stewart; Dean Schofield, Chris Day; Chris Jones, Andy Titterrell, Nathan Bonner Evans.

Replacements: Lionel Faure, Stuart Turner, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, Ben Lloyd, Richard Wigglesworth, Oriol Ripol, Nick Wakley

Referee: Wayne Barnes