Steve Borthwick’s quick return lifts Saracens

England captain Steve Borthwick has made a remarkable recovery from his rib injury and has been included in the Saracens team for the visit of Gloucester to Watford on Sunday.

Second-placed Sarries will be delighted to have the in-form Borthwick on duty and also have Wikus van Heerden back from South Africa to reclaim his No6 jersey, while Glen Jackson will come in at No10 to take over from Derick Hougaard.

This will be Sarries' first game at Vicarage Road this season following their matches at Twickenham and Wembley and the club is desperate to see a healthy crowd to prove they can make top-flight professional rugby viable in Watford.

Having played in front of more than 100,000 fans at those two major stadia, anything less than 10,000 at Watford will be deemed disappointing.