Lozowski faces old club Saracens after 'sad and bewildering' farewell
Alex Lozowski will run out against Saracens on Sunday still describing the end of his 10 years at the club as “sad” and “bewildering”.
The 32-year-old starts at centre for Sale Sharks against his former team, alongside fellow summer signing Joe Marchant in midfield. It is a quick reunion. He left Saracens at the end of last season after 198 appearances.
Lozowski told the BBC the final months felt like “a bit of a damp squib”. He barely played. That hurt after so long in north London.
The numbers explain why. He made only two appearances in the Premiership, England’s top league, last season. His only game time since the end of February was a 10-minute cameo off the bench in the Champions Cup, Europe’s top club competition.
For the run-in, Saracens preferred a midfield pairing of Olly Hartley and Nick Tomkins. The club finished fifth and missed the play-offs. Lozowski watched most of it from the sidelines.
It was a sharp fall. His form in the 2024-25 season had earned him call-ups to England’s squad for both the autumn internationals and the Six Nations, the annual tournament between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
Sale offered a fresh start. The Sharks confirmed in February they had agreed a deal to bring in the versatile playmaker from their Premiership rivals. Director of rugby Alex Sanderson knows the path well. He spent 17 years at Saracens as a player and then as a coach.
Sale have named Gus Warr at scrum-half in place of Roe, with George Ford at fly-half, for the trip to Saracens. Scrum-half and fly-half are the two half-backs who direct the attack, one feeding the ball in and one steering the play.
History is heavy here. Sale lost 65-14 away to Saracens last October. They lost 85-16 in the return game in April. Saracens have also brought back Brendan Venter to their coaching set-up this season.
Lozowski’s route into rugby was unusual. As a boy he had a trial with Arsenal and spent time in Chelsea’s academy before choosing rugby.
For fans, this means a simple story to follow on Sunday. A long-serving player, frozen out last spring, gets to test himself straight away against the club that let him go.
