Saracens wait on Castaignede op

Saracens' Thomas Castaignede flies home to France today to face a second operation on the Achilles tendon injury which has kept him out of rugby since last November.

Castaignede, who watched his team-mates start the season with a 54-12 win over Caerphilly, is not expecting him back in action until November.

Even without Castaignede and following the departure of England forwards Danny Grewcock, Tony Diprose and Julian White, Saracens have a season ticket target of 5,000.

Four years ago they sold only 900 but attendances rose 35 per cent last season.

Next Saturday Saracens play at Edinburgh Reivers and on 18 August will have a squad at the Middlesex Sevens at Twickenham.