Saracens
Saracens vs. Leicester Tigers Premiership Final Preview
Gathering clan
By saracens4life
May 25 2011
So here we go again…a repeat of last year’s epic season-finale, 1st against 2nd in the table, in front of a bumper crowd at Twickenham. Whatever your thoughts on the play-offs, I find it hard to believe you can’t be even a little excited by the prospect of Saturday’s game, and for many of the 46 players who will be participating in the showdown, rugby occasions do not get any bigger.
OVERVIEW:
LEICESTER’S track record in the Premiership speaks for itself: since its beginning in 1997, the Tigers have racked up 7 titles, easily superior to any other side; the Midlands club has competed in the last 6 finals, winning 3 of them; and if that’s not enough, the lowest they have finished in the league table this century is 6th. The Tigers set up their latest Twickenham date by containing with impressive ease a Northampton Saints side capable of almost uncontrollable explosiveness, as they showed in last weekend’s Heineken Cup Final loss to Leinster. Other issues on that day overshadowed what was an accomplished and tactically astute performance from a side which knows how to win at the business end of the season.
A daunting task faces us, the relative newcomers to the big scene, then, but if there is one club which has proved throughout the season that it has the ability to finish on the right side in close contests against top sides, it is undoubtedly SARACENS. 18 wins in the regular season – comfortably the highest figure of the 12 clubs – including doubles over Northampton and this weekend’s opponents Leicester, is testament to this. A culture has been slowly and almost inexorably developing within the Hertfordshire club of incredible hard work, team spirit and self-belief. The Leicester model which brought them success over the last two decades has been adopted: pragmatism, in my opinion quite rightly, has taken precedence over flashiness this season as the Men in Black have slowly accumulated victories, some narrow some more convincing, and few could argue the worthiness of Sarries’ place in the final. It was this culture which came to the fore in a narrow semi-final win over Gloucester, where the Men in Black played a similar strategy of containment to that of Leicester the day before, but unlike the Tigers they made very hard work of it in the final 10 minutes, with a late Owen Farrell penalty needed to secure a 2-point margin of victory.
THE TEAMS:
THE TIGERS boast an embarrassment of riches in the front-row, and will surely be seeking to gain an advantage at scrum-time, although this is far from a given. Marcos Ayerza, George Chuter and Martin Castrogiovanni make up a multi-cultural, 125-cap front row, combining a more-than-solid scrum platform with striking mobility in the loose. The running lines of the Argentinean loosehead are especially impressive. It is testament to the depth of Leicester’s resources here that such strong scrummagers as Boris Stankovich and current England tight-head Dan Cole will have to be content with places on the bench.
In the second row, it is only a ridiculous absentee list which prevents the Tigers from boasting similar strength. In the absence of Messrs Parling, Deacon and Blaze (retired), though, the pair of George Skivington and Steve Mafi is a bulky but dynamic one, and ex-Nottingham man Ed Slater has developed impressively during this campaign. However, despite the qualities of the replacements, Leicester have missed the work in the tight and the controlling influence of the much-maligned England man Louis Deacon. Much of the lineout responsibility for the Tigers lies on the shoulders of the England blindside Tom Croft, who acts as their primary jumper in both attack and defence. The 2009 Lion is also well-reputed for his pace and finishing ability in the wide channels, although his work rate around the fringes is questionable. The Tigers will be led by ex-Otago, All Black International #7 Craig Newby, who is tenacious but occasionally ill-disciplined at the breakdown, having conceded over 11 penalties this season, and he offers an immense work rate over 80 minutes and another lineout option. One of two main selection debates comes at No.8, with Englishman Jordan Crane and New Zealander Thomas Waldrom going head-to-head for the starting berth. All the stats favour Thomas the Tank Engine, with the ex-Canterbury man top of the ball carrying stats with the most metres gained by any forward by a country mile. Crane, though, is a more stable player at the base of the scrum, he is stronger in the tight exchanges and he is a vital component to the breakdown. I reckon Cockerill will go for Crane from the off, using Waldrom as an impact player from the bench. Needless to say, it is the battles at the lineout and the breakdown which will largely shape the outcome of this game, and not wishing to count any chickens, I think Sarries have the edge in both.
However, it may equally be in the performances of Leicester’s golden boys at 9 and 10, Ben Youngs and Toby Flood, which have the greatest impact. At their best they are exhilarating and close to unstoppable if they have runners playing off them; at their worst, they force plays which aren’t on, their tactical kicking is shoddy and their general game management is flawed. It is not necessarily dictated by the platform they are given by their pack, but doubtless the Leicester forwards will be looking to give them an armchair ride. Flood’s goal-kicking, and especially his experience of doing it at Twickenham on big occasions, is a major string to the Tiger bow.
Outside them will be Leicester’s Players’ Player of the Year Anthony Allen, who is the glue that holds this side together, both in attack and defence. However, the ex-Gloucester man is not the most creative of players, and the Tigers midfield may struggle to create incisions in the black defensive line with the absence of Manu Tuilagi. The selection at #13 is another close call, with up-and-coming Billy Twelvetrees battling it out with the Sarries’ nemeses of last year, Matt Smith and Danny Hipkiss. On the likely assumption it will be one of the latter two, the pair will be very solid but not especially inspiring.
The back three is another international blend, with slippery Argentinean Horacio Agulla, Kiwi Scott Hamilton at full-back, and Samoan powerhouse Alesana Tuilagi, on the scary side of 18 stone, looking to use his devastating charges either down the left wing or through the midfield. However, Tuilagi is not the strongest under aerial bombardment, and Hamilton’s usual rock-solid reliability has somewhat deserted him of late. This may well give an indication as to the tactics Sarries will adopt on Saturday afternoon. It is undoubtedly a very strong and very settled squad, and many of them will have considerable experience already of such occasions.
For SARACENS’ part, we are likely to see a very similar side to that which has lined up in the last few weeks, as rotation has taken a backward step with multiple injuries in the backline and unfaltering performances from the incumbent players. A front row of Matt Stevens, Schalk Brits and Carlos Nieto is expected, so the Tigers are not likely to get much change at scrum time. Nieto especially has had a wonderful season in the tight, given his age and the horrific ankle injury he sustained last season, and has become more prominent in the loose. The carrying, tackling and breakdown work of the rejuvenated Stevens, recently announced as part of the Saxons squad for the Churchill Cup, is an essential component to the Saracens forward game. It is deservedly Schalk Brits, though, who grabs the headlines in this department: his set-piece work has improved immeasurably, and has been crucial in taking the Sarries the lineout to the top of the charts, while he has been at his usual effervescent best in the wide channels and off counter-attack, despite 8 months of being targeted by opposition defences. With the impending arrival of Springbok captain John Smit and the continued development of Jamie George next season to help Brits share the game time around, goodness only knows what a force the ex-Stormer could be.
The second row has provided selection headaches all season, but recent evidence would suggest a starting combination of club captain and lineout technician Steve Borthwick alongside in-form monster-tackler Mouritz Botha. The two complement each other nicely, with Botha rampaging around the pitch smashing people and charging upfield with ball in hand while Borthwick does the dirty unseen work in the tight. There will be a tantalizing shootout between the athletic American Hayden Smith and hero of last year’s final Hugh Vyvyan competing for the bench spot. Personally, I think Vyvyan’s big-match experience will see him get the nod. In the back row, the formula of Kelly Brown, Jacques Burger and Ernst Joubert, with Andy Saull providing impact and pace from the bench, is working well, and this trio will work tirelessly to gain an advantage at the battle of the gain line. The lineout is a clash between statistically the two best sides, and both possess a multitude of jumping options. The breakdown has been an area of weakness – by their own high standards – for the Tigers this season, while Sarries have enjoyed dominance there in most games; if this trend were to continue on Saturday, it would put the Men in Black in a strong position. If the Tigers are deprived of quick, front-foot ball, their England half-backs may struggle to play with the tempo they so love and the likes of Burger will hunt them down all day long.
I am not going to try and predict who will start at scrum-half, as apparently this has been decided by means of a coin-toss because the two contestants, Springbok Neil De Kock and England international Richard Wigglesworth are, in the eyes of Mark McCall, just carbon copies of each other. Outside will be Owen Farrell, who will inevitably be a major focus in the build-up to the match. The 19 year-old has overcome every obstacle laid in his path this season with staggering serenity and control; even when he had difficulties in the semi-final against Gloucester, he was composed to slot the winning penalty with five minutes to go. He has been assigned goal-kicking duties this weekend, and his performance will be crucial to the outcome of the game – no pressure, then, Owen!!
In the midfield will line up a very similar duo, in the shape of Brad Barritt and Chris Wyles, to that of Leicester. Rock-solid in defence and attack, but often lacking the cutting edge of, say, a Gloucester or a Leinster midfield, these two pairs will engage in an absolutely pivotal battle, whose victory will be marked by control of the gain line. Barritt against Allen is an especially interesting clash given the England context – they will be going head-to-head in the ‘Who should play #12 instead of Hopeless Kiwi?’ competition. Barritt has been a rock all season, and it is players like him, Jacques Burger and Kelly Brown around whom the Sarries gameplan is constructed.
In the back three, the all-English trio of David Strettle, Alex Goode and James Short face up to the international brigade. Strettle is top of the charts for defenders beaten and clean breaks, and his acceleration and footwork are a threat to any defence; academy man Short has shown pace and power throughout the season, ending up as the club’s top try-scorer, and has been justly rewarded with a new senior contract; Goode brings balance to a highly potent trio, with his kicking and distribution skills an essential component of the Sarries attacking game.
THE VERDICT:
I predict it will be a less thrilling, lower tempo contest than last year, with both teams playing within their attacking potential and looking to press the opposition into mistakes. What is almost certain, though, is that come the last few minutes the tension will be as palpable as last year. De-fibrillating equipment is advised. Sarries will go into the game full of self-belief, knowing they have come through many close encounters this season, although the Tigers will not be hampered by the thoughts of having lost twice to the Watford side already this season, as they have their full complement of players back and they relish the Twickenham occasion.
I am certainly not bold enough to make a prediction for the result of this game; what I will do, though, along with what is reported to be a travelling band of Sarries fans worthy of the occasion, is shout scream and sing in support of our boys for 80 minutes, and if they win or lose, thank them for the effort they have put in this season on and off the field to improve the club we all love so much. COME ON YOU SARRIES!!!
MATCH INFO: Kick-off at 3pm, at Twickenham Stadium. The Gathering begins at 12pm.
Referee: Wayne Barnes; Assistants: Dave Pearson and Stuart Terhedge
Oh go on then – Sarries by 1…
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Stumbleupon25/05/2011 23:21
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2011:05:29:11:28:13 by TonyTaff.
Nous sommes l'armιe noir et rouge !
If it's not already been done, I'll advertise it on the Tiggs board. Get the red carpet out for any visitors
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
Past performances mean nothing - great teams write their own history. Saturday sees a whole new 80 minutes of rugby between the top two teams in the premiership in a winner-takes-all final.
As a Tigers supporter, I will have no problem seeing either side lift the trophy this year (but obviously shouting for Leicester).
Good luck - looking forward to another great game.
iii's pictures are now on ipernity at:
[www.ipernity.com]
twitter stuff: [twitter.com]
facebook stuff: [www.facebook.com]
email: 'crumbietiger@yahoo.com'
Now, shouldn't you be revising, or something?
Pity you spoilt it with the last line!!
Really is too close to call and will very much depend upon who makes the least mistakes.
Don't forget Tigers' experience in kicking
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