Harlequins v Saracens Premiership Cup Preview

Last time out
By saracensfan62
November 5 2025

It feels like only yesterday we were playing Quins at the Stoop. A return to the lair of our old foe could be welcome though; if the squad turn up and execute the Sarries gameplan, we should be able to get revenge on Quins for the recent loss in the Premiership.

The league season has become disjointed. I know many are thinking it and I would like to mention it for a minute. It feels as though once you start to settle into watching the Premiership, then the internationals hit and suddenly it’s a 4-5 week break from any premiership rugby. We do have the Cup to keep us entertained, I suppose, but that is only two games. Then the champions cup barges it’s way in for the majority of December and some of January, with a mere 3 Premiership games between the beginning of December and the end of January. Then it’s the 6 nations break and, once again, we enter a time of no league action until the Showdown at the end of March. I cannot see any real fix to this in the short-term, however it does make actively following rugby for new supporters much more challenging than in other sports.

Moan over, onto the preview. Harlequins have been hit and miss of late. A resounding 38-0 hammering away to Exeter followed by an impressive 20-14 home win against us demonstrates their inconsistent form. We haven’t been much better, resounding victories against Sale Sharks and Newcastle followed by losses to the aforementioned Quins and Northampton Saints. On that note, Franklins Gardens has really become a bogey ground for us in recent years. Hopefully we can break the hoodoo at some point in the near future.

The Premiership Cup is always dampened slightly by the departure of international players to their respective teams for the Autumn Nations series, but this does in turn allow for younger, less well-recognised players to breakthrough. It has (yet again) gone through a revamp in format, with only teams from the Premiership playing instead of in the last 2 years where Championship teams were involved. Side note - I personally liked the Championship teams getting involved, feel free to discuss the new format in the comments below if you wish. They have been split into 2 pools of 5, with 8 rounds being played in total. 2 have already happened for us (we had a bye week last weekend) and both resulted in losses – disappointing away loss to Leicester Tigers and a entertaining, whilst fairly heavy defeat to a powerful Northampton side at the StoneX back in mid-September. Only the top 2 teams in each pool will qualify into a knockout stage with just a semi final and then final. It is well recognised that some clubs (us included) use the cup as an opportunity to blood new players in a competitive competition. I expect both teams will field teams full of youngguns ready to try and make their mark on the competition. We are in the same boat as Quins in the cup, 2 losses from 2 but there is still plenty to play for. I expect this one to be a game where caution is thrown to the wind and an exciting, expansive style is adopted by both teams.

I think I would struggle to predict an accurate Harlequins team – after all, most of the time I get the Saracens one badly wrong. I have attempted a team prediction below, factoring in the return of numerous formerly injured bodies (inc. a number of backs who we haven’t seen in a long while, very exciting!). I hope it’s a positive selection featuring mainly young players who we don’t always get to see during the main league season. Personally, I don’t think Farrell should be starting in the cup team. Farrell is an excellent 10, but it seems his style clashes badly with his fellow 10’s and they don’t complement each other very well. He offers an excellent option off the bench at 10, 12 or 13 if he is needed and can steady the ship should things not be going to plan. Same concept applied with Max Malins. It’s fair to say his return to Sarries has been rocky. Sure, he can be afforded some leeway given his injury, but he has had a torrid time aerially and looks a couple of steps off-the-pace compared to when he left us for Bristol back in 2023. Given time, I’m sure these two will find their class again. They are also both experienced heads who can mentor those younger players and guide them if necessary on matchdays.

Saracens

Phil Brantingham
Theo Dan
Alec Clarey
Nick Isiekwe
Hugh Tizard
Nathan Michelow
Toby Knight
Tom Willis
Charlie Bracken
Louis Johnson
Jack Bracken
Olly Hartley
Sam Spink
Brandon Jackson
Elliott Daly
James Hadfield
Vilikesi Nairau
Tietie Tuimauiga
Olamide Sodeke
Harry Wilson
Ivan van-Zyl
Owen Farrell
Max Malins

Players away on international duty

Rhys Carre, Nick Tompkins, Marco Riccioni, Eroni Mawi, Fergus Burke, Andy Onyeama-Christie, Maro Itoje, Ben Earl, Jamie George.

Harlequins v Saracens Premiership Cup Preview

Posted by: TheSaracens.com (IP Logged)

Date: 05/11/2025 12:18

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:11:28:20:48:51 by Darraghgirl.