Alistair Hargreaves has revealed his pride at being handed the Saracens captaincy.

The club confirmed last Thursday that the South African lock had been chosen to take over from Steve Borthwick, who decided to call time on his career at the end of last season.

"The captaincy is a fantastic honour and it's a huge responsibility," Hargreaves is quoted as saying by the Enfield Advertiser. "I'm really looking forward to the challenge, we have a great bunch of players here with lots of leaders.

"It's a job that I'm thoroughly looking forward to. We've got some great guys in the squad, some great characters, and it's a lot of fun here. I can't wait to crack on."

Saracens kick off their Aviva Premiership season against London Wasps on September 6.