Alex Lozowski calls Saracens farewell ‘bewildering’ before Sale return

Alex Lozowski said on Friday, 2 October, that the end of his decade at Saracens was ‘sad’ and ‘bewildering’ after he was left on the fringes of the team. The Sale Sharks centre made the comments ahead of Sunday’s Premiership trip to his former club in north London, where he hopes to show the value he can bring to his new side.

Speaking to BBC Sport, the 33-year-old said he made only two Premiership appearances for Saracens last season. A 10-minute Champions Cup appearance from the bench was his only playing time after the end of February. He described the conclusion to his long spell at the club as a ‘damp squib’.

What Lozowski said about his Saracens exit

‘It was a sad ending for everyone I suppose,’ Lozowski told the BBC. He pointed to Saracens finishing fifth and said he ‘wasn’t part of it at all’ during the closing stages. His disappointment concerned both the club’s finish and his lack of a role in trying to change it.

Lozowski said he had played 198 games for Saracens and had hoped to add a few more before leaving. ‘Could have got a couple more in there and had a little run and tried to make it to the top four?’ he recalled thinking. ‘It doesn’t always work out the way you want.’

According to the BBC, Saracens selected Olly Hartley and Nick Tomkins in midfield during their run-in. Five consecutive wins took the club close to the play-offs, before an away defeat by Exeter in the final regular-season round ended that chance. Lozowski’s limited involvement came as the team was competing for a place in the top four.

How Lozowski’s move to Sale was confirmed

Saracens announced in February that Lozowski would leave at the end of the season. At the time, director of rugby Mark McCall called him a ‘remarkable servant’ and praised his consistency, professionalism and commitment. The club credited him with three Premiership titles and two European Cups during his ten years there. Its farewell announcement did not address the later question of his playing time in the run-in.

Sale announced the same day that the centre had agreed a two-year deal for the 2026–27 season. The club described him as able to play at fly-half as well as in midfield. Lozowski said then that he admired Sale’s style of rugby and believed he could contribute. He had joined Saracens from Wasps in 2016, making almost 200 appearances before the move.

His final season followed a 2024–25 campaign in which, the BBC reported, his form brought England squad call-ups for the autumn internationals and Six Nations. Lozowski has five England caps, the most recent from November 2018. That recent international recognition adds context to his frustration, although it does not establish why Saracens chose a different midfield.

What is at stake when Sale visit Saracens

Lozowski told the BBC that Sale had wanted him to ‘come here and add value’, and said it was now time to do so. Proving his value to his old club, alongside helping Sale’s season, is part of his motivation for Sunday’s meeting. The match offers an immediate return to Saracens, but his comments did not claim that one performance could settle the questions he has raised about his exit.

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson has urged his team to start quickly at StoneX Stadium. In Sale’s match preview, he called Saracens impressive after their win over Leicester and said his players needed to impose their own game. Sale had suffered heavy defeats against Saracens in both meetings last season: the BBC recorded scores of 65–14 away and 85–16 at home.

Sanderson also has a long connection to Saracens. The BBC reported that he spent 17 years there as a player and coach. For Sale, the visit is a chance to improve sharply on those previous results; for Lozowski, it is his first reported opportunity to face the club after a farewell he says still stung at the time. Saracens’ reasons for his reduced role remain unknown from the available statements and interview.