Saracens vs Bristol Bears LIVE: Result and reaction from Premiership match today
Re-live the latest action from Allianz Park as reigning champions Saracens look to continue their relegation survival efforts against top-four chasing Bristol
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Your support makes all the difference.Follow the latest updates live from the Premiership clash between Saracens and Bristol Bears at Allianz Park.
In what has been a tumultuous season at Saracens already, the reigning Premiership champions face one of the most-improved teams this season in the shape of Pat Lam’s Bristol looking to claw back further ground on the pack following their 35-point deduction for breaching the salary cap.
But Bristol, flying high in second place, could go top of the table with a victory and will plan on causing a major upset at Allianz Park to not only continue their strong start to the season but send out a major statement of their title credentials. Follow the live updates below.
When is it?
Saracens vs Bristol takes place at Allianz Park on Saturday 21 December.
What time does it start?
The match kicks off at 3pm.
Where can I watch it?
The game will not be shown live on television in the United Kingdom, but you can follow live updates from Allianz Park with The Independent.
Teams
Saracens: Max Malins; Sean Maitland, Nick Tompkins, Brad Barritt, Elliot Daly; Owen Farrell, Ben Spencer; Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Vincent Koch; Maro Itoje, George Kruis; Nick Isiekwe, Ben Earl, Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: Jack Singleton, Rhys Carre, Titi Lamositele, Will Skelton, Jackson Wray, Richard Wigglesworth, Duncan Taylor, Alex Lewington.
Bristol: Charles Piutau; Luke Morahan, Piers O;Conor, Sam Bedlow, Toby Fricker; Callum Sheedy, Andy Uren; Jake Woolmore, Harry Thacker, John Afoa; Joe Joyce, Chris Vui; Steven Luatua, Jake Heenan, Nathan Hughes.
Replacements: Will Capon, James Lay, Max Lahiff, Ed Holmes, Luke Hamilton, Harry Randall, Ioan Lloyd, Alapati Leiua.
Referee: Tom Foley
Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's Premiership encounter between Saracens and Bristol Bears, brought to you from pitchside at Allianz Park.
Kick-off is scheduled for 3pm this afternoon, and we'll bring you all the build-up to the crunch clash between the reigning champions and the title underdogs from 1:30pm.
Hello from Allianz Park where the sun is shining and thankfully the temperature is the right side of freezing, ensuring we should be in for quite a treat this afternoon.
Second place plays bottom of the table, but it's far from what we're used to in the Premiership as Saracens start the day on -18 points and 22 points off the next best side, in the form of Leicester Tigers.
The mammoth 35-point deduction for breaching the salary cap remains a sore issue here in north London, but Bristol won't care one bit as Pat Lam brings his side here determined to send out a major statement of their Premiership title intentions. The Bears sit second in the league, two points behind leaders Northampton who take on Sale at the AJ Bell Stadium this afternoon.
It's very much the story of the dominant force against the side who see themselves as a future dominant force in the battle for English rugby.
There are two big occasions among the Saracens squad today, with captain Brad Barritt set to win his 250th cap and hooker Jamie George poised for his 150th appearance.
In this age of every single milestone being celebrated to the high hills, it will be interesting to see how they will lead out the team - side-by-side, hand-in-hand, single file? - or whether they will ignore the occasion to focus on the task at hand.
Jamie George of course found himself the subject of last weekend's victory over Munster when a flare-up surrounding the Irish team's doctor.
The medic allegedly made a derogatory remark about George which caused a 30-man brawl on the sidelines - well nearly 30-man...
The one man who was having none of it was of course Mako Vunipola, who provided this magnificent moment amid all the carnage.
The teamsheets are in and it's confirmed no changes to either side, so they line-up as follows:
Saracens: Max Malins; Sean Maitland, Nick Tompkins, Brad Barritt, Elliot Daly; Owen Farrell, Ben Spencer; Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Vincent Koch; Maro Itoje, George Kruis; Nick Isiekwe, Ben Earl, Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: Jack Singleton, Rhys Carre, Titi Lamositele, Will Skelton, Jackson Wray, Richard Wigglesworth, Duncan Taylor, Alex Lewington.
Bristol: Charles Piutau; Luke Morahan, Piers O;Conor, Sam Bedlow, Toby Fricker; Callum Sheedy, Andy Uren; Jake Woolmore, Harry Thacker, John Afoa; Joe Joyce, Chris Vui; Steven Luatua, Jake Heenan, Nathan Hughes.
Replacements: Will Capon, James Lay, Max Lahiff, Ed Holmes, Luke Hamilton, Harry Randall, Ioan Lloyd, Alapati Leiua.
Referee: Tom Foley
This season it's been rather hard to predict how Saracens will line up, given their swaying interest in defending their European crown at the cost of their Premiership status.
However, it's getting much clearer that they will target their remaining Premiership games in order to retain their top-flight status, with a number of their big guns returning over the last few weeks to target what will now be a crucial run of league games.
Needless to say, Bristol's Pat Lam saw it coming: "They (Saracens) will be fully-loaded because of the situation they are in," Lam said this week. "There is no reason for them to be complacent at all, so if we manage to pull off the victory, it's going to be a huge achievement.
"This is another good barometer that we look for to see how we are going and how we're going to deal with this challenge, and that's what I'm excited by."
Saracens wrap up their warm-up first as we tick down towards kick-off, swiftly followed by a Bristol side looking far more like a unit than the rabble of Sarries individuals making their way back tot he changing room - a little insight into the mentality that Pat Lam instils into his side there.
Not long until we're underway.
Unsurprisingly there's a Christmas feel to Allianz Park today, with Father Christmas out in the middle of the pitch and the smell of mulled wine flowing through the air as the crowd warm themselves up.
It's the final match before the festivities kick in next week, although Bristol won't have long to celebrate - they're up again on Friday against Wasps.
Right now though it's all about how they shape up against a Saracens side fighting for their Premiership future. Will they be able to go toe-to-toe against the reigning champions at home? Let's hope so.
Steven Luatua leads out Bristol looking resplendent in white, closely followed by Brad Barritt an his Saracens side. No special theatrics for Jamie George, who is winning his 150th cap, and as the pitch is cleared we're ready to go.
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