Saracens' director of rugby Mark McCall has officially returned to the club and will be in charge for Saturday's top-of-the-table clash with Leicester Tigers after a month away on medical grounds.
Returning earlier last week, during a bye weekend for the club, McCall confirmed that he was now ok and thanked everyone for their messages following the surprise announcement by Saracens at the end of January.
"I've been blown away by the rugby community and the support and messages I've received from all over the place really to be honest, that was really assuring," McCall said. "I'm back now and looking forward to getting stuck in again."
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β Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) March 4, 2022
π΄σ §σ ’σ ·σ ¬σ ³σ Ώ @aled009 back at 9οΈβ£.
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In McCallβs absence, Saracens won two of their four matches, defeating Bath Rugby and Harlequins while losing to Wasps and London Irish.
It looked as though Saracens were going to escape the Brentford Community Stadium with a win after Nick Tompkinsβ late try. However, in dramatic fashion a last-gasp Paddy Jackson penalty decided an intense contest as London Irish won 32-30.
This weekend's opponents Leicester Tigers are soaring at the top of the league and have just come off the back of ending an 11-year losing streak at the Recreation Ground as they squeaked a win over rock-bottom Bath last weekend.
McCall's return for the Leicester game will be a big boost for Saracens ahead of one of the most anticipated matches in the Premiership this season.
Additionally, McCall also provided another update on Saracens and England captain Owen Farrell who has been missing for over five months after sustaining two ankle injuries.
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β Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) March 4, 2022
Here's what happened when we teamed up with Hy-Pro to surprise @SaracensHighSch with a donation of sports equipment.@Alex_Goode0, @AlexLozowski10 & @AlexLewington48 loved the PE session! π#StrongerTogether β«οΈπ΄ pic.twitter.com/bdoXv4SPR3
"His recovery is going positively, and weβre certainly hoping heβll be back playing towards the end of March β exactly when that will be Iβm not sure. Itβs weeks rather than months [now]," McCall said.
"Heβs not doing any training with the team, heβs still with our performance team, but heβs actively involved in meetings, preparation and that kind of thing."
Saracens sit second in the Premiership, 16 points behind Leicester Tigers with just eight matches of the regular campaign remaining.
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