Sarries v Saints: Teams

Saracens name an unchanged line-up from the side that demolished Newcastle last week as they face Northampton at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

Director of Rugby, Eddie Jones' selection means that Kris Chesney is set to make his 200th Premiership appearance against the new boys.

The 34-year-old has been named on the bench for the match and should he get on the pitch, he will become only the second player in the history of the competition to pass the double century of appearances behind Wasps Simon Shaw.

"It's a great honour and to have reached a milestone like this as a Saracens player is something that I will hold close to my heart," Chesney said.

"I'm still just as proud to pull on a Saracens shirt as when I made my first team debut in 1995 and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to break the 200 mark in front of the Sarries fans at Vicarage Road.

Milestones

"But Saturday is not about individuals or milestones, it's about performing as a team and getting the result we want."

And Jones added his own compliments to his back-row forward ahead of a vital game for momentum purposes in Watford.

"It's a fantastic milestone for Ches and he continues to be a great servant to the club," he said.

"But I'm sure that he, like the rest of the squad, will be fully focused on getting the result against Northampton tomorrow.

"They are a good side and have players who can score points from all areas of the pitch and come into the match in a buoyant mood after a good win against the champions Wasps last weekend. That means it's going to be a tough game.

"We played some smart and skilful rugby against Newcastle and took our opportunities well but that was last week, tomorrow we must concentrate on working even harder and improving once again - that is our focus and nothing else."

Saints unchanged

Meanwhile, Northampton Director of Rugby, Jim Mallinder, has also named an unchanged squad for their trip.

Saints secured their second win of the season last weekend against London Wasps, yet Mallinder believes that allowing player combinations to settle is essential as the team seeks consistency of results.

"We are still coming to terms with the physicality and pace of the Guinness Premiership," he said.

"It doesn't get any easier with tomorrow's game against Saracens. They made some quality signings over the summer who have added to a strong squad of players. Neil de Kock and Glen Jackson control the game well at half-back and Eddie Jones is a world-class coach.

"We had a good result last weekend against London Wasps. But there are always areas in which we can improve and we have been working hard through the week."

Saracens: 15 Richard Haughton, 14 Rodd Penney, 13 Kevin Sorrell, 12 Adam Powell, 11 Kameli Ratuvou, 10 Glen Jackson, 9 Neil de Kock, 8 Michael Owen, 7 Andy Saull, 6 Chris Jack, 5 Hugh Vyvyan, 4 Steve Borthwick (c), 3 Cencus Johnston, 2 Fabio Ongaro, 1 Matias Aguero.

Replacements: 16 Matt Cairns, 17 Cobus Visagie, 18 Kris Chesney, 19 Ben Skirving, 20 Moses Rauluni, 21 Gordon Ross, 22 Chris Wyles.

Northampton: 15 Bruce Reihana (c), 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Joe Ansbro, 12 James Downey, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Carlos Spencer, 9 Lee Dickson, 8 Roger Wilson, 7 Scott Gray, 6 Neil Best, 5 Christian Day, 4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.

Replacements: 16 Paul Shields, 17 Barry Stewart, 18 Tom Smith, 19 Alex Rae, 20 Mark Hopley, 21 Ben Foden, 22 Stephen Myler.