Changes to the Saracens playbook brings them to Galway as a side who have moved away from a forward-dominated, territorial game.

With Owen Farrell marshalling the ball at outhalf and quality attacking runners in Alex Goode, Chris Ashton and David Strettle, Connacht will face their toughest game since heavyweights Toulouse and Biarritz arrived in previous years.

Pat Lam will understand the size of the question Saracens pose by simply looking at the team sheet, but the former Irish centre and visiting coach Mark McCall comes with a team that have won all five of their Premiership games so far and collected three try-scoring bonus points.

In Strettle they have the leading try scorer with four and Farrell is leading the kicking with 78 points.

Those step-ups
Connacht will again have to play above themselves and in the past have shown that they can. But those step-ups have been few and far between and to beat Saracens would be on a par with the emotional 22-14 victory over Biarritz in December, 2012.

Ronan Loughney and Nathan White are out injured, which will make the scrum less solid. Lam has brought in Rodney Ah You but against Saracens they will surely struggle. Then again any frontrow would against Mako Vunipola, Schalk Brits and Matt Stephens.

Lock Michael Swift returns as Connacht captain with Brett Wilkinson and hooker Seán Henry also in the frontrow. John Muldoon is named in the backrow at blindside flanker.

Fionn Carr moves to the right wing, allowing Danie Poolman to start on the left, while Robbie Henshaw returns to continue his conversion from fullback to an outside centre with international potential. He partners new signing James So’oialo.

“I know from experience that we have one of the trickiest starts you could ask for in Galway,” said McCall. “The facts speak for themselves. Over the last three years, Connacht have beaten Biarritz and Harlequins.”