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CLUBS UPDATE, 4th January 2006

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Happy New Year


Last Match Review

Bonus points are crucial - admit coaches...

Saracens picked up a losing bonus point at Welford Road on Monday as Leicester Tigers ran our 34-27 winners in the Guinness Premiership clash.

After a Ben Johnston try had given Saracens an early lead, the boot of Andy Goode and tries from Darren Morris and Tom Varndell had looked to have taken the home side clear. But a late try from Tevita Vaikona and 17 points from Glen Jackson kept the Men In Black in the hunt with a dogged performance to take a point from the game.

“I thought we did enough to get a bonus point,” explained Director of Rugby Steve Diamond. “It was a hard game and this is a tough place to come, but ultimately Leicester were stronger than us in certain areas. But we can go away and be proud of our performance and we could have capitulated at one stage in the first half.”

A fine spell for the home side midway through the first half saw them score through Morris and also awarded a penalty try. After a mixture of Vaikona and Kevin Sorrell held up wing Geordan Murphy over the line, referee Roy Maybank went under the posts after Saracens were penalised at the resulting 5m scrum – despite it being their first offence.

However, when Saracens were camped on the Leicester 5m line for six second half minutes, despite the home side having two men sent to the sin bin for offences and the referee awarding three penalties to the visitors, no penalty try was awarded.

Diamond added: “I’ve got no complaints with the result, Leicester deserved to win, but I felt we should have been awarded a penalty try. Our scrum had already conceded a penalty try from a first offence and then when we were 5m out with Leicester conceding penalties and being down to 13 men, I expected us to be awarded a penalty try. We just need some consistency. But from our own perspective, we should have then worked the ball out wide, but that’s part of the learning curve for this team.

“I thought out scrum looked much stronger when Hamish Mitchell came on and he did well. Cobus Visagie still has an elbow injury and should be back soon. He’s a world-class tighthead so any team would miss him, but at 32, he’s not going to play every game for us and you can’t rely on one player.

“But overall, when you are away from home, if you can’t win you must look to get a bonus point – especially with the competitiveness of the league.”

Next Home Game

Saracens vs Gloucester – Sunday 8th January 1.30pm Kick Off

The West Country side got the better of the Men in Black earlier this season and gained revenge for the three defeats suffered last season including Saracens first ever win at Kingsholm and the Wildcard Final.

The highlight of the game could involved the contest between two of the best young number 8s in the country in Ben Skirving and Jamie Forrester. It’s sure to be a physical battle!

The following clubs have targeted this game and are brining a group along.

OA's
Bishop's Stortford
Tabard
Harrow
Fullers
Letchworth
Watford
Chess Valley

If you want tickets for the match contact the Saracens Contact at your club as soon as possible.

Forthcoming Home Game

Saracens vs Treviso (HEINEKIN CUP) – Sunday 15th January 3.00pm Kick Off

Saracens play their last home pool game in the Heineken cup and will be looking to rattle up some points against the Italians in preparation for a winner takes all game away against Biarritz for a place in the next round.

The following clubs have targeted this game and are brining a group along.

Hertford
Stockwood Park
Welwyn
Harpenden
East London Phantoms

If you want tickets for the match contact the Saracens Contact at your club as soon as possible.


Player News

Young players make the step up
Monday’s game against Leicester Tigers say two of our young players make their first starts for Saracens in one of the toughest games of the season at Welford Road.

Adam Powell and Tom Ryder were called into the starting line-up for after an injury to Paul Bailey meant Ben Johnston moved to the wing with Powell taking the inside centre spot. Ryder came in for the injured Simon Raiwalui.

Both Powell and Ryder impressed the coaches while playing in the Powergen Cup at Wasps earlier this month but were unable to push for a place in the Heineken Cup as they are not registered for the competition - but now they have been given a chance in the Guinness Premiership.

Head Coach Mike Ford added: "Adam Powell earned his place on merit. He's been training very well and also put in a good performance at Wasps so we're looking forward to seeing him in action. Paul Bailey picked up an injury against London Irish. He should return for the Gloucester game but Ben Johnston will switch to the wing. We've also included Nicky Little on the bench as he gives us different options at fly-half or centre.


Other News

Saracens confirm second team fixture against Henley...

With another gap between Guinness A League games Saracens have arranged a further two friendly second team games to take place in January of next year.

The Men in Black will take on Henley at Old Albanians on Monday 16th January followed by a return away leg later that month.

Hill's festive serving...
As we approach the halfway point of the season we're in a good position in both the premiership and Heineken Cup and there's certainly plenty to play for particularly in the coming weeks in against Treviso at home and what could be a Pool decider against Biarritz in France which is a good situation for the club to be in especially when you take into consideration that it's the first season in the tournament for four or five years.

In the premiership our form has been better in the first part of the season for a number of years and if we can match or improve on the second half from last season then we should be challenging for a place in the top four come the end of the season which in turn will give us a chance of winning the title.

We're now heading into a period where results very much dictate the shape of the season. Over the coming four or five weeks we need to take the points on offer domestically and win our remaining games in the Heineken Cup which will be no easy task considering the opposition we're up against and again your help will be crucial, particularly when we're playing at home.

This year has certainly seen the depth of the squad come through as it's not only been good to see the first team getting some good results but also the A Team who have performed well with some players standing out and pushing the first team regulars very hard and breaking down the barriers between the two sides.

My highlight from the season so far from me has to be the Biarritz game where we played against one of the favourites to win the competition. They have a fantastic Heineken Cup pedigree and came into the season as the form team in Europe and to beat them relatively comfortably was awesome.

Once again Christmas has come round and it’s the only time that being out with an injury has any perks and I must say I've enjoyed indulging in a bit of festive fare!

As a player involved over Christmas it's a time that you have to think about what you eat and drink whilst everyone is enjoying themselves but that's what being a professional rugby player is all about and for most of the year it's a great life so this is a small sacrifice.

After winning the return leg at home to Ulster the players were able to have a Christmas Party which involved the whole squad and partners meeting up in Leicester Square and it was a great opportunity for us all to mingle and celebrate the win and Christmas.

As far as I'm aware the evening was a big success and everyone enjoyed themselves, particularly Mosese who again fell asleep on a bus, this time a night bus, and this time when he awoke he found himself very lost in Edmonton. Needless to say he wasn't the only person having difficulty getting home.

In the away leg of the tie Kevin Sorrell was awoken in the middle of the night in the hotel by rustling noises in his room and was convinced that there was a mouse in the room. In the morning he told his room mate Glen Jackson of his theory and then set about laying a trap for his unwanted guest by leaving a trail of biscuit pieces on the floor.

When he returned to his room after training three of the crumbs were gone and he immediately said 'I told you' to Glen and then phoned reception to ask to switch rooms.

When Kevin got off the phone Glen was in stitches and let him in to a small secret. Before they left to go training he had given their room key to Kevin Yates who then sneaked in to eat the crumbs!

Changing the subject slightly and many of you might have seen the news about the Saracens XV v World XV game which will take place in May of next year. We have just received news of who will be coaching the World XV with Bob Dwyer taking responsibility.

On a serious note obviously we're all very sad at Andy Farrell's recent bad injury news. We all know that's it's been a big personal blow to him but we're still all very much looking forward to his involvement. He's a strong character and he's got a very impressive self determination and motivation and we know he'll be back as soon as he is able.

 

Any comments, additions, errors or omissions send an email