Andy Onyeama Christie is excited to get the Investec Champions Cup campaign underway as Saracens host ASM Clermont Auvergne in their European curtain raiser in North London.
Onyeama Christie returns to the match day squad to face the French outfit as the Original Club of North London start the hunt for their fourth European star. In a shortened week after a narrow loss to Bath last Sunday, Director of Rugby Mark McCall has made a handful of changes to the side that fell short to the PREM champions last week.
There are wholesale changes in the front row, as Rhys Carre is now joined by James Hadfield and Marcus Street, who makes his first European start for the club. The engine room sees Nick Isiekwe start alongside Hugh Tizard, with Theo McFarland shifting out to the back row. Onyeama Christie starts at openside with Tom Willis continuing at the base of the scrum.
The backline remains unchanged from the sold out Bath fixture last weekend, with Ivan van Zyl captaining the side from scrumhalf in partnership with Owen Farrell. The midfield sees Nick Tompkins and Lucio Cinti combine once more. Max Malins continues on the wing alongside Noah Caluori on his European debut. Former Champions Cup winner Elliot Daly provides ample experience at fullback.
The replacements list sees Nathan Michelow feature after a successful PREM Cup campaign. Rotimi Segun also returns from injury to make an impact off the bench in North London.
Onyeama Christie cannot wait to take to the StoneX against elite French opposition.
“We’re excited to be back playing in Europe, and we fully appreciate the size of the challenge ahead. Clermont have a proud European history, as do we, so it promises to be a fantastic occasion in front of our home crowd.”
Saracens Men team to play Clermont Auvergne:
1 Rhys Carre
2 James Hadfield
3 Marcus Street
4 Nick Isiekwe
5 Hugh Tizard
6 Theo McFarland
7 Andy Onyeama-Christie
8 Tom Willis
9 Ivan van Zyl (c)
10 Owen Farrell
11 Max Malins
12 Nick Tompkins
13 Lucio Cinti
14 Noah Caluori
15 Elliot Daly
Replacements:
16 Theo Dan
17 Eroni Mawi
18 Marco Riccioni
19 Harry Wilson
20 Nathan Michelow
21 Charlie Bracken
22 Fergus Burke
23 Rotimi Segun