Benazzi's giant task for Sarries

Benazzi, at 6ft 6ins and 18st, still considers he could do a job for France at the age of 33 and Saracens have said they would release him.

Pienaar has good reason to remember Benazzi at international level because the Frenchman came so close to scoring for France against South Africa in the 1995 World Cup semi-final in Durban. Pienaar, then the South African captain, remembers: "I thought Abdel was going to score the try which would put South Africa out of the World Cup. We all dived in and when we came up we could see that he had not reached the try line."

Now the World Cup opponents are working together and Saracens, fifth in the league last season, have to bed down in the first month of the season. Pienaar says: "We should have won the first game but we missed 17 points, that was the story. Benazzi had a tremendous game, led by example and put in the tackles."

The match will be preceded by a fly-past from the RAF Memorial Wing. A Lancaster, Hurricane and Spitfire will fly over just before kick-off to start Saracens' Champagne run through England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales aimed at raising £500,000 for six charities.

Saracens' players will lead the mission, which takes in support from 77 Hilton hotels, lasts 80 days and ends in London on 29 November with the Lions' celebrity dinner at the Hilton London Metropole. The players will move one bottle a day from various towns and cities, travelling on foot or by helicopter, car, boat, balloon and even a tank.

Harlequins' latest signing, flanker Tu Tamarua, from Australia, arrived today but will not be considered to play against Bristol at The Stoop on Saturday.

Instead, he will play for the second team against London Irish next Tuesday.

Quins expect to play Pat Sanderson at flanker against Bristol now that he has recovered from a bruised hip.

And team manager Mike Scott claims the mood at Quins has improved after the first-day defeat to the Irish.

"Beating Northampton in a second-team match in the week brought a few smiles back which were badly needed," he said. But Quins have run into unexpected problems off the field for their first away match at Newcastle on Sunday week.

The match clashes with the Great North Run road race and hotel accommodation is proving difficult to find.

Scott says: "We just did not think about the race until we started looking for hotel rooms.

"So far we have gone 45 miles north of Newcastle and 95 miles south without finding anywhere. If we cannot find rooms we will have to charter a flight for a day trip, which is not ideal."