Welwyn RFC are proud to be a Saracens Partner Club.

Club Update 23/02/06

Next Home Game…

Saracens vs Bristol Sunday 26th Feb
Kick Off 15:00

See Saracens take on Bristol- on Sunday 26th February, kick off 3pm, Guinness Premiership - Tickets available at www.saracens.com and remember you SAVE £££'s by buying online.

HEADLINES…

Masterclass a huge hit...
Last week Saracens ran its February Masterclass courses. With courses being run in tandem at Hertford Rugby Club and Hemel Hempstead the week provided the children who took part a chance to improve their skills under the guidance of Saracens professional players as well as an opportunity to have a lot of fun.
Saracens would like to offer their congratulations to Cash Hunt and Connor Herhily who received the Senior and Junior player of the week awards on the Hemel Hempstead course. Congratulations also go David Holby and Thomas Tinner who received the awards on the Hertford course. All these players received a new Saracens shirt amongst a range of other give aways for their efforts throughout the course demonstrating a variety of skills in numerous areas including tackling, ball handling and evasion.
Both courses were sold out but if you missed your chance to book a place the next opportunity is just around the corner. Our next courses are being held during the Easter school holidays at Saracens Amateurs RFC and Letchworth RFC. With places selling fast already we recommend you book early to avoid disappointment.

For more information or to receive our special online price please see www.rugbycamps.com and click on the saracens log.

PLAYER NEWS…

Castaignede to start for France...

Saracens' Thomas Castaignede has been named at full-back in the France team for Saturday's Six Nations match against Italy at the Stade de France.

Castaignede last played for France in the win over South Africa in November, and missed the first two Six Nations matches with a thigh injury. He replaces Christophe Dominici, who moves back to right wing.

In other international news, Tom Ryder has been named on the bench for England U21s Six Nations clash against Scotland. The game takes place on Friday at Falkirk RFC – kick off 7.30pm.

Adam Powell is also away with England U19s and could be involved at the weekend; however the team for their match against Scotland has yet to be selected.

Chesney - we need to take small steps...

Kris Chesney captained Saracens on his 150th Guinness Premiership appearance at Franklins Gardens last weekend and it will be a match that he would like to forget.

However, Chesney and the rest of the squad held a meeting the day after the game to identify what went wrong and take collective responsibility - along with looking at what is needed over the next seven games to lift Saracens away from the foot of the table.

The second row admitted the players were ‘embarrassed’ by the performance at Northampton and added that although Sunday’s game against Bristol is an important clash, the squad need to put in place a series of steps over the rest of the season as nothing will be decided at the weekend.

“We’re not going out to play badly,” added Chesney. “But looking back at the weekend, we made mistakes and we compounded those with some poor skills and lack of ball retention. That’s what been costing us this season.

“One of the key factors in all of this is confidence. Three months ago we went on an unbeaten run which included victories against teams like Biarritz and now on the back of a poor run of results, confidence is low. What we can do to build up that confidence is look to take small steps in games, concentrate on ball retention and the simple things.

“There are seven games left this season and it will need us taking those small steps during that time. A win on Sunday will give us some confidence but it won’t fix the problem. Also, if things don’t go as we hope on Sunday then there is still a long way to go in the season. It’s not just about one match. The Guinness Premiership this season is such that we are a win and a half off the bottom, but two wins away from Europe.

“The commitment from the players is there. This is our job and as a group we have to show more professional pride. We were all embarrassed at the weekend as I know a lot of the supporters were. We know it wasn’t good enough and the dressing room was like a morgue after the game – as it should be after a performance like that.”

“We realise what we need to do and it’s up to us as players to hold our hands up, take control and put things right. It’s still in our hands and we know that it’s time to put our collective noses to the grindstone and work even harder. We have to take collectively responsibility for what has happened and what will happen over the rest of the season

Players extend their contracts…

Ben Skirving, Dave Seymour and Cobus Visagie have all committed their future to Saracens after signing contract extensions with the club.

Ben Skirving has signed a new deal that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2007/08 season in a season which has seen him claim a regular starting spot for Saracens and earn a call-up to the England A side.

David Seymour has put pen to paper on a new two-year contract with Saracens. Seymour first burst on to the scene at the start of the 2004/05 season when he made his first appearance for the Men In Black in a pre-season friendly at Ellis Park against The Lions in Johannesburg. Within a few weeks he was making his full debut as a second half replacement for Richard Hill in the London Double Header on the opening day of the season. Since then, he’s made 46 appearances for Saracens, also appearing for England U21s and more recently the England 7s side – all this after moving from Chinnor in the South West League at the start of last season.

Finally Cobus Visagie has committed his future to Saracens after signing a contract extension with the Vicarage Road club

The South African prop, who joined the Men In Black in 2003, has put pen to paper on a new deal until the end of the 2006/07 season. The 32-year-old tight-head prop was capped 29 times by South Africa. He won four Currie Cups with Western Province and also made 43 Super 12 appearances with the Stormers before moving to North London.
He said: “I’m delighted to have signed a contract extension. I’m very happy at Saracens and even when I first joined, I made the decision that I would like to stay with them and be the last club I play for so I’m pleased that I have signed for another year and remain committed to the club.

Little leaves…

Nicky Little has left Saracens to join Calvisano after deciding to take up the offer of a contract with the Italian club.
Little has been released from his contract with Saracens immediately in order to beat the player registration deadline in Italy which will allow him to play for Calvisano this season when he has recovered from injury.

The Fijian fly halves’ appearances were restricted this season because of injury and a ban which ruled him out for the early part of the campaign. He was banned for 11 weeks in September and then suffered a broken arm in January in an A-team game.

Little joined Saracens in 2002 after spells with Pontypridd, Dax and Sale in Europe as has made 51 appearances for the men in Black during that time.

Head Coach Mike Ford said: “We’d like to thank Nicky for his time with the club and his efforts over the past three years. Injuries and the ban meant he was unable to feature in the side as much as we would have liked, but he has decided to accept the offer from Calvisano and has already joined up with the club. We wish him every success in the future.”

COMMUNITY NEWS…

Player Visit Update…

Since the turn of the year the Saracens Players have made over 45 player visits to our partner clubs. With various players involved with Masterclass courses as well our players have been busy. Partner clubs have been on receiving coaching tips and some expert knowledge from our professional players and receiving the full benefits of being involved with club partnership programme.

March is a busy month with Alan Dickens, Kevin Yates, Shane Byrne, Kris Chesney, Tevita Vaikona and Simon Raiwalui all making player visits to various clubs. To find out which players will be making an appearance at your local club please call 01923 204 602 or email richardgregg@saracens.net.

Coach Development Opportunities…

This is your last chance to get involved with our next coach the coaches sessions

1. The next Coach the Coaches Session will be held on Tuesday 28th February at the University of Hertfordshire's Sports Village. Mark Mapletoft (Saracens Assistant Academy Manager) will take the session focussing on First Phase Attacks. The session will start at 6.30pm with a Theory Seminar, followed by a practical session (with the Academy Players) from 7.30-9.00pm. To book a place please email davehesketh@saracens.net with your name and club.

As part of the Powergen National Community Programme and in conjunction with the RFU, Saracens' South African International Prop, Cobus Visage will be leading a Scrummaging Clinic on Monday 20th March at OA's RFC prior to the Saracens A vs Wasps A match. This clinic has had an overwhelming response and is now fully booked
 

 

Any comments, additions, errors or omissions send an email here.