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Agustín Creevy will make his London Irish debut against Saracens on Monday. The former Pumas captain has been named at hooker in a largely second-string Exiles team that features only one other capped international – Australian center Curtis Rona – in the run-on side.
There are two test players in the bench in Scotland prop Allan Dell and Samoa back row TJ Ioane. Other notables include Ross Neal of the Seattle Seawolves, who starts on the wing, and all-time World Sevens Series try-scoring leader Dan Norton who has signed a short-term deal with the club.
The awkward scheduling of the English Premiership restart sees Saracens running out much stronger side that will be heavy favorites. Three players who started the third British & Irish Lions test against New Zealand are named – Jamie George, Maro Itoje, and Elliot Daly.
There is no place for US Eagles pair Kapeli Pifeleti and Will Hooley, but Argentine test center Juan Pablo Socino is named on the bench. The match takes place at The Stoop, the traditional home of Harlequins, where Irish will play until construction on their new home in Brentford is completed.
LONDON IRISH
1 Will Goodrick-Clarke, 2 Agustín Creevy, 3 Lovejoy Chawatama, 4 Ben Donnell, 5 Chunya Munga, 6 Jack Cooke, 7 Isaac Curtis-Harris, 8 Matt Rogerson (capt.), 9 Rory Brand, 10 Jacob Atkins, 11 Ross Neal, 12 Matt Williams, 13 Curtis Rona, 14 James Stokes, 15 Tom Parton
Replacements: 16 Matt Cornish, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Ollie Hoskins, 19 Sebastian de Chaves, 20 TJ Ioane, 21 Caolan Englefield, 22 Phil Cokanasiga, 23 Dan Norton
SARACENS
1 Richard Barrington, 2 Jamie George, 3 Vincent Koch, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Callum Hunter-Hill, 6 Mike Rhodes, 7 Jackson Wray, 8 Billy Vunipola, 9 Aled Davies, 10 Manu Vunipola, 11 Sean Maitland, 12 Brad Barritt (capt.), 13 Elliot Daly, 14 Alex Lewington, 15 Alex Goode
Replacements: 16 Tom Woolstencroft, 17 Sean Crean, 18 Josh Ibuanokpe, 19 Joel Kpoku, 20 Calum Clark, 21 Tom Whiteley, 22 Juan Pablo Socino, 23 Dominic Morris
Date: Monday, August 31
Kickoff: 13:00 local (05:00 PT, 08:00 ET)
Venue: The Stoop, London
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistants: Christophe Ridley & Sara Cox
