Francois Pienaar tried to keep a straight face this week when he announced the news: former England prop Jeff Probyn, at 44, has been drafted in to save Saracens from a front-row crisis ahead of tomorrow's Heineken Cup opener in Toulouse.

FRANCOIS PIENAAR tried to keep a straight face this week when he announced the news: former England prop Jeff Probyn, at 44, has been drafted in to save Saracens from a front-row crisis ahead of tomorrow's Heineken Cup opener in Toulouse.

Saracens lost two props last week to injury and chief executive Pienaar discovered what amateur clubs contend with each weekend when he had to phone around and find replacement props by noon yesterday for his 30-man squad to play Toulouse, Ulster and Cardiff in the pool stage of the Heineken Cup.

England prop Julian White had surgery on a bulging disc in his neck this week and is expected to miss the first round of pool matches, as is England Under-21 cap Luke Harbut with a foot injury.

While Sarries have four accomplished players still to share front-row duties, the loss of two props in a week left them thin on cover should one get injured. To meet competition regulations, Sarries needed to name replacements but could not sign Super 12 players on loan.

Negotiations to bring South Africans Os Randt and Dawie Theron, as well as Australian World Cup winner Richard Harry, broke down, leaving Pienaar asking Probyn to come out of retirement - seven years after the former Wasps prop last played for England.

Another front-row injury would put Probyn in line for an unlikely return to fame.

'Jeff will be fifth or sixth in line to play and he has told me he has been keeping fit since his last game for the Barbarians against Germany in the summer,' Pienaar said.

'I can't see how any English club can have nine or ten front row players and keep within the £1.8 wage cap of the Premiership. We didn't think this would be necessary, but we lost two props in a week.'

Probyn, who is not registered with any club, offered his services for free to Saracens and, along with South African Marc Farr and Colm Hannon, makes up the seven front-row players each club in the Heineken Cup is required to name.

Front-row crisis averted, Saracens turn their attention to tomorrow's epic encounter with France's biggest club, Toulouse, for which over 30,000 tickets have already been sold.

Like Saracens, Toulouse were concerned with injuries this week after losing Emile Ntamack, who is a close friend and French international colleague of Thomas Castaignde, the Saracens full-back who returns to his former club.

Despite being drawn in perhaps the hardest group with two former winners, Toulouse and Ulster, and a previous finalist, as the Premiership's most in-form side Saracens are tipped by many to make the last eight.

Chief executive Francois Pienaar was keeping modest, however, about his side's chances prior to their flight to Toulouse today.

'We're in the toughest pool by far and in a month's time we will know more of our chances,' he added.

'To play Toulouse away with the record they have at home definitely makes us the underdogs.

'If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. But if we don't win it's not the end of the world because we have other games at home we can win.

A good European cup run from Sarries would help wash away the bitter taste last season's Heineken Cup experience left. The Men in Black lost three games in the final moments by less than three points, but Saracens are expected to do better this time around.

Pienaar added: 'We are better prepared and have a stronger squad so the experience of playing European rugby will stand us in good stead.'

Sarries, who lead the Zurich Premiership by three points, will field the same side as they did at Bath on Saturday.