England duo George Ford and Owen Farrell hailed ahead of Twickenham showpiece

George Ford and Owen Farrell have been described as players “relentless in their pursuit of excellence” ahead of taking centre-stage in Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership final.

Leicester fly-half Ford and Saracens’ tactical controller Farrell unquestionably hold the keys to victory for their teams.

Tigers, chasing a ninth Premiership title in their first domestic showpiece final since 2013, were never replaced as regular-season league leaders across 24 games.

Saracens, meanwhile, are back on the big stage following their relegation to the Championship and £5.36million fine two years ago for repeated salary cap breaches.

“There are huge similarities between the two of them,” Leicester head coach and former Saracens captain Steve Borthwick said.

“They love rugby, they are relentless in their pursuit of excellence, the amount of training they would do, how driven they are to win.

“George is an incredible tactical leader and very astute in terms of what the team needs. He is a guy who wants to get better, and it is a privilege to work with him.”

Borthwick has handed a surprise Twickenham start to 39-year-old Richard Wigglesworth, who is handed the role of Ford’s half-back partner, with Ben Youngs on the bench.

Wigglesworth helped Saracens win European and Premiership crowns during his 10 years with the club before joining Leicester ahead of Borthwick’s first season at the helm.

Chris Ashton, the Premiership’s record try-scorer, also features for Leicester, with Guy Porter moving from wing to centre as replacement for an injured Dan Kelly.

Saracens show one change from the side that beat semi-final opponents Harlequins, as lock Nick Isiekwe takes over from Tim Swinson.

Leicester have risen from successive 11th-place