Saracens keen to play cup tie in Cape Town

Saracens want to stage their Heineken Cup clash against Biarritz next January in Cape Town.

Tournament chiefs, plus the Rugby Football Unions in England and South Africa, will need to ratify the move but it is understood none of them are opposed to the idea.

There is also the precedent of London Wasps being granted permission last season to play an LV Cup game against Harlequins in Abu Dhabi.

Saracens' Heineken Cup game with Clermont Auvergne last season attracted just under 6,000 to Vicarage road, while a match at the Newlands Stadium or the Cape Town Stadium could bring in around 30,000.

The imminent arrival of Springboks captain John Smit means there will be nine South Africans in the English champions' squad next season, making the clash easier to sell to locals.

Saracens chief executive Edward Griffiths said: "The idea of playing a Heineken Cup tie in Cape Town is appealing. We'd be eager to showcase the strengths of top-class European rugby on a grand southern hemisphere stage."