Bye, bye, you big bully!

By TheSaracens
August 2 2026

As happens every summer, the excitement of having seen the emergence of exciting young stars of the future and the anticipation of incoming senior players from other clubs – of whom we have a particularly interesting crop this year as the club looks to further progress its rebuilding process  - are tempered by the sadness at departures from the club as players leave for pastures new, whether it’s to try their luck abroad, seek a new challenge within the Prem (hate that name…) after a long stint in the black and red, or simply to move in the hope of more First XV game time at clubs where competition for each position is less fierce than within the large playing group we’re blessed with. Obviously, we’ll be paying separate and detailed tribute to the club’s most significant departure from front-line rugby, that of Mark McCall. Although not quite as seismic as the summer of 2024 felt, when we lost the likes of Owen Farrell, all three Vunipolas, Sean Maitland, Alex Lewington and Tom Woolstencroft, this year nevertheless sees us saying farewell to some real fan favourites including the Prem’s biggest bully.     

Tom Willis, who built a reputation as the Prem’s most terrifying No. 8  during his two years at StoneX , has decided to return to Union Bordeaux Begles, the club from whom he joined Sarries in the summer of 2024 and of course European Champions for the last two seasons, to join his brother Jack, a major star at Toulouse, in France.

Tom’s impact at Sarries, both figurative and literal, has been truly remarkable – his stats for 2025-26 in the Preme alone show a staggering 249 carries, 122 defenders beaten and 31 offloads; little surprise that leaves Sarries having been crowned Gallagher Premiership Player of The Year for 2025-26. Tom made 43 appearances in the black end red, earning 8 England caps in the process.

Alex Lozowski, having completed a well-decorated decade at StoneX after joining us from Wasps ahead of the 2016-17 season, has moved on – possibly influenced by recovery from a long spell of injury and the need for a fresh challenge – to join Alex Sanderson in Prem rugby’s North-West outpost at Sale Sharks.

Ostensibly signed as a fly-half, Loz, who I recall featuring for Wasps in the infamous Valentine’s Day massacre of 2016 shortly after his impending move to Sarries had been announced, demonstrated remarkable versatility during his time with us, performing to the highest standards as a fly-half, outside centre and on the wing. 

During the season that Sarries spent in the Championship, Loz was loaned to Montpellier, where he played regularly at fly-half,  picked up the club’s Player of the Year award and won the European Challenge Cup before returning to North London.

Loz was an integral part of Sarries’ squad throughout his ten years with us, making nearly 200 appearances, picking up two Champions Cups, three Premiership titles and winning 5 England caps.

 Ivan van Zyl, who had previously played for the Bulls and earned 4 senior Springboks caps, arrived at StoneX in 2021 alongside Ruben De Haas to bolster Sarries’ scrum half options following the departures of Ben Spencer and Richard Wigglesworth, and has taken the opportunity to return to his native South Africa with the Hollywoodbets Sharks – but let’s just call them the Sharks!

Ivan, always a well-liked figure at StoneX, initially vied with Aled Davies for the no. 9 shirt, interchanging latterly with Charlie Bracken.  

Ivan made 134 appearances for Sarries, featuring prominently in the 2023 Premiership Final win over Sale Sharks.

Theo McFarland, a cult figure also considered a freak of nature throughout his time in the back and red, has ended a five-year spell at Sarries to try his luck wih French giants La Rochelle.

Theo arrived with a large group of incomers in 2021, after having played briefly for Dallas Jackals in the USA and also enjoying a career as an international basketball player for Samoa; it was the latter experience that gave him his incredible ability to catch the ball in one hand from line-outs, his acceleration and his talent for hanging in the air to score gravity-defying tries.

Theo became hugely popular among the Sarries faithful, playing in either the second or back row; his unique brand of rugby was something to behold.

Theo leaves us after 76 appearances, winning a Premiership medal in 2023 and having earned international honours for Samoa in whose colours he appeared at the 2023 World Cup.  

Marco Riccioni, another fan favourite, is crossing the Channel to join Perpignan after having been another of the 2021 intake at Sarries, joining us from Benetton Treviso, where he’d already broken into the Italy squad, and becoming a ferocious replacement for Vincent Koch at tighthead.   

An outgoing character, Marco endeared himself to Sarries fans and although he had injury problems he performed consistently well for us, making 68 appearances and winning the 2023 Premiership

Harry Wilson, a second row and an excellent squad player who often captained Sarries in the Premiership Rugby Cup is moving on toExeter Chiefs after two seasons at StoneX having joined us from Doncaster Knights in 2024.

In all, Harry made 28 appearances for Sarries.

Gareth Simpson, moving on to join Ealing Trailfinders in the Champ (hate that as well), originally had a short spell with Sarries in 2022 after Worcester Warriors collapsed, moving on to briefly join Western Force in Australia before returning to North London full-time in 2023.

Gareth was most often used from the bench, a steady and reliable no. 9 who notched up 48 appearances for us.

Brandon Jackson, a highly promising young winger who came through the Saracens Academy has decided to move on to join the host of new players arriving at my local club, Newcastle Red Bulls.  

A lethal finisher, Brandon scored heavily for both Sarries (32 games, 15 tries) and our affiliated club Ampthill (35 games, 26 tries).

Samson Adejimi, a fleet footed hooker in the Jamie George mould who again came up though the Academy has already been at Newcastle Red Bulls on loan and the move has now been made permanent.

Slightly oddly, I have already seen Samson in action for his new club!

While with Sarries, Samson scored a highly impressive 8 tries in just 14 appearances, notching up another 12 tries in 27 games for Ampthill.

 Louie Johnson, a young fly half who joined from Newcastle Red Bulls (then Falcons) in 2024 is  moving on to  Ealing Trailfinders.

Louie looked a classy and promising player, but the rapid emergence of Fergus Burke and the return of Owen Farrell limited his opportunities.

Louie made 13 appearances for Sarries.

Sam Spink, a centre whose time at Sarries since arriving from Western Force in 2024 was badly blighted by injury and has now left the club - we have no confirmation as to where he is moving to.

Sam leaves us after making just 8 appearances.

Senior Academy departures are Barnaby Merrett, Matthew Branch-Holland, Lewis Young, Charlie Barker and Ryan Jones. 

To each and every one of the players listed above, we thank you for your commitment to the black and red cause, and we wish you every success in your next chapters.  

Tom Willis photo courtesy of David Loxham