By King Zak
March 25 2013

For me at least, trips to AzP are increasingly becoming something to be viewed as a social occasion as much as a sporting one. This is probably exactly what the club had hoped for, but even a cynical old whats-it like me is finding it irresistible.  The pre-match craic is rapidly becoming one of the best on the ‘circuit’ and to see the East Stand Long Bar so crowded was warming in all senses.

The unseasonably cold weather may have meant extra layers of clothing but the one certainty was that the pitch would be in perfect condition for fast, flowing rugby. The approach to the game from both sides was clear from the naming of the teams – ‘we intend to win this game’. All of the internationals were back from their 6 Nations exertions, first v second, a mouth-watering contest lay waiting. As if the game needed any more hyping, we were reminded by the stadium announcer as the teams came out, this was the reigning champions against, not the previous champions, but the ‘soon to be champions’. The intent is not hidden, the question remains if they have the capability to achieve it.

Saracens got the game going in cold, blustery conditions and were soon on the attack as ‘Quins failed to deal with the kick off. This ultimately led to Vunipola charging through the ‘Quins defence before being stopped just short of the line at the expense of a penalty which Farrell made no mistake with from in front of the posts. It was a fantastic run from ‘Mighty Mako’ and a sign of things to come as he led the Saracens charge in the first 20 minutes.  ‘Quins were able to get some possession in the Sarries half and they gained two penalties that Evans put over to give them a brief lead. However, they were unable to make any headway into the 22 and never looked as threatening in attack as Sarries.

The men in black continued to play their quick, off-loading game and constantly had the visitors defence under pressure, forcing three penalties that Farrell slotted over for a 12-6 lead after 25 minutes. The second one of these had resulted in Marler being sent to the naughty step and it proved a crucial stage of the game as Sarries racked up 11 points during his absence.

The style of rugby being produced at AzP is a delight to watch (yes, honestly, it really is!); all of the team look comfortable with ball in hand and the running lines of Ashton, Strettle, Joubert and Hargreaves were wreaking havoc with ‘Quins defensive alignment. When Harlequins did have the ball, the defensive line speed was such that they were forced to play a much narrower game than they would wish; meaning Smith, Monye and Brown were unable to get any space.

It was another excellent burst from Hargreaves that led to the first try; his link play with Kelly Brown and Wigglesworth led to the latter nearly being decapitated by Monye. With the penalty advantage, Sarries spun the ball right and Brits was able to twist, turn and bulldoze his way over the line for his first try in nearly two years. Farrell missed the conversion but the 11 point lead was the least they deserved after the first half hour. Evans was given an immediate opportunity to reduce the deficit by three points when Joubert was caught in possession at the restart but Sarries were still the dominant force. As half time approached, Farrell & Evans both missed penalty opportunities they would normally have expected to make; goal kicking remains a challenge at AzP. Our half time discussion was already focused on man of the match; the conclusion being that they could give it to Mako there and then! This is his first season of premiership rugby and he still has a long way to go, but his development, power, handling and running has been a revelation – long may it continue for Sarries & England!

Quins were first on the scoreboard in the second half as Evans slotted another penalty but Sarries responded in the best possible style. The move started with turnover ball following a crunching tackle by Fraser on Sarries own 10m line; they moved the ball right at pace, quick handling by Ashton & Joubert in particular allowed Brown (K) to burst through the defence. The support of Goode and Ashton took the ball to within 5 metres of the try line; Quins again infringed at the breakdown but weren’t able to slow the ball down sufficiently to prevent Farrell putting in an inch perfect cross field kick to Fraser who touched down near the left corner. It had been a move of pace, power and accuracy; started and finished by one of the stand out players on a very special day for the Fraser family – brother Henry having officially opened AzP before the match. Farrell’s conversion gave a 12 point cushion and there appeared a sense of resignation about Harlequins that this was not going to be their day.

Farrell had a couple of chances to extend the lead as Saracens continued to dominate the game, missing the first but not the second. Three scores behind and desperately trying to get something out of the game, Harlequins finally made a line break through Mike Brown. This led to Ashton repeating the efforts of Monye earlier in the game as he ‘clothes lined’ Fa'asavalu. It was a clear yellow card (as was Monye’s IMHO) and could possibly have been red. Ashton’s effort and commitment cannot be doubted; his running with ball in hand is exceptional but he really does need to sort out his defensive work. It did, however, give Harlequins the remaining eight minutes against 14 men with the ball deep in Sarries 22. It also gave Sarries the opportunity to show why they are so difficult to beat; the defensive effort during that period was immense! I was reminded not so much of the premiership final against Tigers but a game earlier that season, away at Wasps - with the game already won they flatly refused to allow the opposition a score. It was the same on this occasion, and I confess, I found that period of defensive work as exhilarating as any of the attacking flair they’d shown throughout the previous 70 minutes. The recovering Jacques Burger watching on from the stands must have loved it!

A final score of 27 – 12 left ‘Quins pointless and enduring their worst run of results for a couple of seasons. They are without doubt a very good side but on this occasion they were outplayed in every facet of the game. Considering some of the head-to-heads around the pitch (Joubert v Easter; Fraser v Robshaw; Mako v Marler; Barritt v Turner-Hall; Ashton v Monye; Wigglesworth v Care) it was the man in black on top every time.

I fully expect these two teams to meet at least once more this season; this result and performance will leave a lasting memory on the psyche of both teams. Mako was more than worthy of his MoM award (which reminds me, can they please sort out the microphones in the Long Bar for the presentation so we can actually hear what’s being said!!); but there were plenty of other contenders in black & red, notably Fraser, Hargreaves, the ubiquitous Borthwick, and a rejuvenated Brits. Of some concern were the departures of Strettle and Smit through injury; the former with a knee injury and the latter sporting a ‘Harry Potter’ cut to his forehead (check out his photo on twitter!!)

There’s still a long way to go to the end of May when the Aviva Premiership champions will be crowned, but in terms of laying down a marker, this performance by Saracens was about as good as you could hope for. From first kick to last, Saracens were more physical, more accurate with ball in hand and more organised in defence than ‘Quins. It wasn’t the ‘perfect game’ and there are areas still to be worked on, but it was a mightily impressive performance.

There are some tough games ahead, not least of which a trip to Adams Park next week, but these are exciting times to be a Saracens supporter!

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Joel Tomkins, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 David Strettle,
10 Owen Farrell, 9 Richard Wigglesworth: 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Schalk Brits, 3 Matt Stevens, 4 Steve Borthwick ©, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 6 Kelly Brown, 7 Will Fraser, 8 Ernst Joubert

Replacements 16 John Smit, 17 Rhys Gill, 18 Petrus du Plessis, 19 George Kruis, 20JacksonWray, 21 Neil de Kock, 22 Charlie Hodgson, 23 Chris Wyles

Harlequins: 15. Mike Brown, 14. Ugo Monye, 13. Matt Hopper, 12. Jordan Turner-Hall, 11. Sam Smith, 10. Nick Evans, 9. Danny Care: 1. Joe Marler, 2. Joe Gray, 3. James Johnston, 4. Charlie Matthews, 5. George Robson, 6. Tom Guest, 7. Chris Robshaw, (C) 8. Nick Easter

Replacements: 16. Rob Buchanan, 17. Mark Lambert, 18. Will Collier, 19. Maurie Fa'asavalu, 20. Luke Wallace, 21. Karl Dickson, 22. Ben Botica, 23. George Lowe

Referee: Greg Garner

Attendance: 9,996

Cold comfort for ‘Quins - Sarries 27 – 12 'Quins

Discussion started by TheSaracens.com , 25/03/2013 14:01

TheSaracens.com
25/03/2013 14:01

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Thanks for writing the report King Zak and for braving the cold, my toes were blocks of ice by the end!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013:04:08:20:27:32 by sutton_sarrie.

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Gryff
25/03/2013 14:13

Great report KZ

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derbyshire fan
25/03/2013 16:56

Great report - thanks very much indeed; impressed that after all the craic you could read your notes!

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AlanE
25/03/2013 17:13

.....and very impressed that your fingers weren't too numb to write any!

Great report - thanks.

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davidthesarrie
25/03/2013 17:50

Thanks for an enjoyable report of an exciting and warming display from the Men in Black (and Red)!

Well done!

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FezUnite
25/03/2013 19:37

Thanks for the report, can't agree more. Loved our defensive effort

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TonyTaff
26/03/2013 10:40

Nice One KZ- hope your pinkies have thawed by now!

It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!

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King Zak
26/03/2013 17:22

Thanks guys, just about thawed out!!

Nous sommes l'armée noir et rouge !

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