Matt Gallagher insists he can’t wait to hear the fans when Saracens play Sale Sharks at home in their second match of the season.

After beating Wasps 50-28 to start their 2019/20 campaign with a victory in the Premiership Rugby Cup, last year's runners-up host the Manchester-based outfit on Saturday.

The fixture will be Saracens' first at home since May, when they beat Gloucester to progress to the Gallagher Premiership final.

And after enjoying their opening victory, Gallagher is relishing the return to the Allianz Park and was keen to praise the importance of the fans.

He said: “They were great for the whole of last season and have carried that into the 7s and at Wasps.

"We’re really grateful for their vocal support and can’t wait to hear them in full voice on Saturday.

“It was a really enjoyable first hit out last weekend at Wasps.

"Pre-season was tough, so the result and more importantly the performance was really pleasing, especially considering how young the squad was.”

Despite Saracens’ strong start, Gallagher is not underestimating their next opponents, who beat last year's Premiership Rugby Cup champions Northampton Saints 39-18 in their opening game.

“Sale got off to a good start too,” he said. "They displayed some good attacking rugby which is something we need to be wary of.

“Our levels in defence need to be the same as they were at the Ricoh Arena.”

With the Rugby World Cup taking place, Saracens are giving young players a chance and 21-year-old Sam Wainwright was delighted to have been one of them in Round One.

He said: “It was a massive privilege to play. I’m over the moon to have got a few minutes under my belt, it was a really good experience.

"Saracens are renowned for bringing their young players through and giving them opportunities. I was really grateful for the chance to play.

"I think the average age of the squad was 21 so it was a young team and just a great environment to be in. I’ve loved my time here so far, it’s been great.”

The Wales youth international was also pleased with the victory last week and felt their game plan had worked.

He added: “We talked about having a good work rate and bringing a lot of energy into defence; putting them in a pit where they can’t get out, pressurising them with kicks and keeping on top of them, not letting them breathe and suffocating them. I think we did well to do that.”