Lyn Jones: Aware of Sarries' threat

London Welsh boss Lyn Jones has paid Sunday's Aviva Premiership opponents Saracens a glowing compliment.

"They are arguably the best team in the Premiership at the moment," Jones said.

"We were very disappointed with the result and our performance at Exeter last weekend and we are determined to put that right tomorrow, but it doesn't get any easier.

"However, we are looking forward to visiting Allianz Park and putting on a good show."

The game comes just two days before Welsh face a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing that could play a huge part in deciding their Premiership fate this season.

Welsh - currently one place above bottom club Sale Sharks - will need to explain why scrum-half Tyson Keats, who starts tomorrow, featured in nine Premiership games this season when he was not eligible. A sizeable points deduction might await.

With Worcester's bonus point win against Wasps last night moving them clear of the relegation zone and 10th-placed London Irish hitting some form, this season's battle to avoid the drop looks like being a two-club battle between Welsh and Sale.

But all that could change on Tuesday if Jones' team receives a sufficient penalty to make survival virtually impossible.

After visiting Saracens, their remaining five league games are away against Gloucester, Bath and Irish, and at home to Northampton and Worcester.

"All season long we have been a positive team," London Welsh centre Seb Jewell said.

"We are not the sort of team to take defeats to heart, so while we have struggled to get results of late we know there is no point in wallowing.

"Avoiding relegation is still in our own hands at this stage, so we take that as a real positive.

"We need to pick up more points, we know that, but we feel we are more than capable of doing that, provided we can improve. We have been working hard in training to correct the mistakes of recent weeks."

London Welsh show a number of changes from the side crushed by Exeter. Gonzalo Tiesi, Neil Briggs and Ed Jackson are all injured, but new signing Seb Stegmann makes his debut on the wing.

Prop Greg Bateman moves to hooker instead of Briggs, with James Tideswell featuring at tighthead, and other starters up-front include lock Kirill Kulemin and number eight Alfie To'oala.

Saracens boss Mark McCall has made just two changes from the side that won at Leicester last weekend, with Duncan Taylor at inside centre and George Kruis chosen as skipper Steve Borthwick's second-row partner.

Flanker Andy Saull, meanwhile, is in Saracens' matchday squad for the first time since fracturing his thumb before Christmas.

"London Welsh have been a highly competitive team all season, and they bring a high level of intensity and work-rate to matches," Saracens rugby director Mark McCall said.

"The challenge for us tomorrow, and for the remainder of the season, is to continue to build on our performances and concentrate on our own game-plan.

"If we get those things right, we will give ourselves a good chance of getting the outcome that we want."