Brendan Venter claims Saracens’ home game against league leaders Northampton Saints on Sunday will act as a barometer for their Premiership challenge.

The Men in Black were finalists last season and with ambitions of going one better this time around, Venter believes facing one of their fiercest rivals will show them what is required to win the title.

The director of rugby said: “It will give us an indicator as to where we stand and it will tell us what we need to do to win the Premiership.

“It’s a nice position to be in. We’ve won two of our first three, they’ve won their first three. It’s a big game and they’re a good rugby side, we all know that. They’re playing really well so you have to give them credit, they’re doing really well. It’s something nice to look forward to this weekend.

“It’s very exciting,” he continued. “We know we can beat them. We won both the Premiership games last season but there was nothing between the sides. They are two good sides and the margins are very small when we play each other.”

The Saints have made a superb start to the campaign and are the only side with a 100 per cent winning record.

Sarries and Northampton clashed last season, with the Men in Black gaining the most significant victory in the Premiership play-offs at Franklins Gardens in May. But the hostility between the clubs went into overdrive after powerhouse prop Soane Tonga’uiha made a U-turn over his move to Vicarage Road.

Talking about their rivalry, Venter said: “With Soane, the media didn’t create that situation. The media didn’t make him change his mind. That was something that happened but it is done and we have left it behind and moved on.”

Nils Mordt will make his debut for the club at full-back after Alex Goode suffered a shoulder injury in their 26-14 win at Leeds Carnegie on Sunday.

England prospect Goode will be out for a couple of weeks but is expected to be fit in time for the start of the Heineken Cup next month.

Mordt joined from Harlequins in the summer and is adept at playing across the backline.

Venter added: “Nils plays in a very similar way to Alex. He has good distribution and a very good feel for the game. He has good core skills and is experienced.”