Saracens head into Saints clash looking to prove the bubble hasn't burst

As Saracens attempt to get their increasingly wobbly season back on track, there is no place they’d rather visit than Franklin’s Gardens

Saracens were dumped out of Europe by Leinster in last week's quarter-final tie (Getty)

A brutal week for Saracens really should get easier on Saturday when they take on a Northampton team they have beaten for fun on three occasions already this season.

If director of rugby Mark McCall was to pick an Aviva Premiership rival he would most like to face at the end of a traumatising week when the defending champions were dumped out of Europe before their financial woes were laid bare, it would surely be the former East Midlands powerhouse.

With 174 points in three outings already chalked up against Saints this season, and only 49 points conceded, an away win looks as close to a certainty as can be in the topsy-tursy world of the Premiership, where no result can ever be 100 per cent assured.

But as Saracens look to get their increasingly wobbly season back on track, there is no place they’d rather visit than Franklin’s Gardens, where all is still far from rosy despite losing just one of their last five home games under interim head coach Alan Gaffney.

Having sparked Jim Mallinder’s demise with a crushing 55-24 win on the opening day of the season, Saracens still have domestic silverware in their sights despite their poorest campaign of recent times, when an unprecedented third tilt at Europe has proved beyond them as injuries mounted.

Last Sunday’s convincing quarter final defeat by Leinster, who are many people’s bet to replace Saracens as champions of Europe, was not entirely unexpected.

But the revelation this week that the club’s principle South African investors Remgro have decided against continuing to plough money into an organisation which has managed to slightly reduce its annual losses in recent times – to £2.74m last year – but has seen overall debt spiral to well in excess of £40m, came as more of a shock.

With long-term benefactor Nigel Wray insisting he has no plans of withdrawing his extraordinary financial support, the writing is far from on the wall at the north London club.

Saracens will be looking to pick themselves up after last weekend’s defeat in Dublin (Getty)

But these are worrying times indeed for Saracens fans, who could do with the calming balm a run of domestic victories would provide.

On Saturday they face a Saints side without injured England stars Dylan Hartley and Courtney Lawes while any realistic hope of a top-six finish also disappeared before former director of rugby Jim Mallinder was eventually sacked in December following 10 straight losses.

Twenty-three year old Luton-born hooker Reece Marshall makes his first ever Premiership start in Hartley’s absence while Teimana Harrison returns to Saints starting line-up after serving a one-match ban for headbutting Bath’s Nathan Catt last month.

Veteran lock Christian Day captains Saints as they seek to salvage pride against a Saracens outfit who will be desperate to prove the club’s bubble has not burst after several years of sustained success under McCall.

The Ulsterman has made five changes to the team which lost to Leinster in Dublin with exciting England prospect Alex Lozowski named at outside centre and young English scrum half Ben Spencer starting alongside Owen Farrell at fly half.

Dylan Hartley is unavailable for Saints (Getty)

Scotland flanker Blair Cowan makes his first Saracens start after signing from London Irish midway through the season while his international team-mate Duncan Taylor is named on the bench following a difficult run of injuries which saw him last feature in early January.

McCall has avoided the temptation to recall No 8 Billy Vunipola who has recovered from a broken arm but will be given as much time as possible to recover in the hope he can make a major impact in the final weeks of the season.

Defeat for Saracens on Saturday would undeniably set alarm bells running but Franklins Gardens has proved a happy hunting ground in recent times and Saints’ lack of incentive other than professional pride provides even more reason to believe McCall’s men will get back to winning ways.

With top-of-the-table Exeter playing Gloucester on Sunday, second-placed Saracens can close the gap to three points with a bonus-point win.

An unexpected loss to Gaffney’s unfancied Saints on the other hand could send their season spiralling.

Many eyes will be on Bath’s much-hyped ‘Clash’ with Leicester at Twickenham on Saturday but in so many ways the serious business will be taking place at Franklins Gardens.

Serious business? It’s time for Saracens to stand up.