KEVIN SORRELL has given play-off chasing Saracens a boost ahead of Sunday's must-win match by ranking the squad the best he has been a part of in 12 years at the club.

The veteran centre has been restored to the starting line-up for the visit of Dean Richards' Harlequins as Saracens bid to cement their place in the Premiership's end-of-season play-offs.

And Sorrell, who is in his 11th and testimonial season with the Men in Black, was quick to sing the praises of his team-mates despite Easter Sunday's heart-breaking defeat at Wasps.

The 30-year-old sat aghast as he and Richard Hill listened to the drama unfolding at Adams Park on the internet. The pair were given a well-earned rest by director of rugby Alan Gaffney, but were sitting far from comfortably as Mark Van Gisbergen landed a last-minute conversion to deny Sarries what would have been their first victory on Wasps soil in a decade.

"Me and Hilly were listening and it was pretty sickening because the lads played so well apart from a couple of little slip-ups at the end," said Sorrell.

"We both had our hands on our heads at the end of the game - it was so frustrating."

But Sorrell, who recently signed a new deal to stay at the club until 2010, thinks there were many positives to take from the outcome at Adams Park.

"The performance was a measure of how far we have come," he said.

"Traditionally, Wasps have had a very strong squad with a fairly settled side. We are trying to follow suit while adding here and there to our squad.

"I knew at the start of the season that if we kept the squad together and didn't make many changes that we would be competitive. The majority of the players have been together for three or four seasons now and that consistency has reaped rewards this season. We know what makes each other tick.

"As squads go, this is the strongest one we've had in the years I've been here. It's so competitive in every position."

Familiarity and stability is something Saracens lacked for years and were undoubtedly two factors in convincing Sorrell to stay on at the club he has made almost 300 appearances for since joining the Men in Black straight from school aged 18 in 1995.

"Alan Gaffney spoke to me in January and asked what my thoughts were," said Sorrell.

"I told him if it the deal was right I would be more than happy to stay. These are exciting times and I want to be a part of it."

Asked if he would like to finish his career at Saracens, Sorrell said: "That would be an ideal scenario. I will be 33 at the end of this contract and I really can't see myself playing for anyone else."