By Behind the Bench
December 18 2014

  An entertaining and good natured forum, with a healthy attendance, featured Edward Griffiths, Schalk Brits and Brad Barritt answering questions on a wide range of topics. I've summarised by topic, not necessarily in chronological order  

Injuries

Brad was still on crutches and with a protective boot, but the rehab is going well, and a return in three weeks is possible, whilst Schalk was not on crutches but is targeting a return in March or April which would be ahead of schedule for an injury of his kind. Back up hooker Scott Spurling returned to training this week, but is still another 2-3 months from playing, Rhys Gill will be back shortly from a minor injury; Juan Figallo is a few weeks away and Kieran Longbottom hopes to return in February and March - quite an interesting anecdote about a horse in the latter case. Jack Wilson is not injured, but there will be an "announcement" later this week - no more details were given.

England and Internationals

Brad was happy to show his interchangability by playing at 13 rather than 12, which requires a change in the defensive role. Schalk and Brad both offered encouragement to Chris Ashton and David Strettle noting that things can change quickly in selections as there is not a lot of difference between a number of players. They were both delighted in how George Kruis has taken his international call-up in his stride and has brought his good form back to Saracens as well. The Samoa game was a good response to the two defeats, and the win against Austrailai was a crucial statement given that the sides are in the same World Cup pool. Schalk felt that South Africa should have mixed their game a bit, rather than trying to run everything, as the low-risk approach, which involved a lot of kicking, and he compared to Saracens of 5-6 years ago at least delivered results. They are hoping to both be involved in the World Cup, but are looking to win cups with Saracens first.

Academy

Asked about Wasps move to Coventry and how this highlights issues with catchment areas for academy recruitment, Edward recapped that Saracens' area covers the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent, which seems an antiquated approach, and he would prefer an open recruitment approach not determined by boundaries, notably, under the current system, London Welsh have no catchment area at all. 

Referees and TMOs.

Wayne Barnes occasionally visits the club to explain new laws, whilst Mark McCall would speak to the Head of Referees at the RFU on a weekly basis, and there would be various conversations between players and referees on match days. In the aftermath of the incorrect scrum call which cost Saracens a win at Leicester, Edward received apologies from the Head of Referees, referree, assistant referee and assessor. He believes it is important to have full time referees and assistant referees under the control of Premier Rugby (PR). Brad felt that the TMOs are being overused at present, much like in cricket which sees straightforward run-outs still being referred. Edward advised that PR pay for TMOs and cameras at all grounds, but there is no clear protocol or uniformity as to when it can be used, in particular, forward passes were supposed to be barred from it, only for it to be used for this, three matches in. The Western Province game was an example of a match without a video referee, and seemed to go OK/

Recent defeats.

The panel felt that the loss of experience at tighthead was crucial, but inconsistent refereeing has not helped, although there is a requirement to change referees' perception too. They are confident that things will improve through the season, after this minor hiccup, and that it is quite important to peak in April or May, as Leicester have always tended to do; They are happy with the players in the squad, particularly given returns from injury. However, they are trying to address failings in the blindside defence, most notably seen in the Northampton defeat - it can be an achilles heel with the press defence employed by Saracens, but the solution may be to drift wider. In terms of dealing with the chip over the top, Sarries have prided themselves on line speed, and the back three predicts the game well, but the whole team needs to do this, and in particular, put pressure on the kicker to reduce the quality of the kick.

Players

Given the performances of the Storm, all of the players were tipped as capable as stepping up to the first team, as many have done before them. Only 3-4 departures and arrivals are expected in the close season, mainly down to retirements

New West Stand

The aim is to build a new West Stand similar in design to the East stand, but also incorporating facilities for Middlesex University and players' training. It is hoped that pictures of the new design will be available in January - crucially, it will mean the floodlight masts can be removed, reducing visual impact, and will lead to a slight increase in capacity - but the improved facilities should make games easier to sell out. Subject to planning permission, it is hoped that building would start in the summer with completion for the 2016/2017 campaign. Car parking would be improved as part of the same application.

European Fixtures

It is hoped that fixture dates for Munster at home and Clermont Auvergne away in January will be confirmed tomorrow. Edward encouraged the Saracens support to "mobilise" for the Munster game, as unlimited tickets are now available for season ticket holders and those who have attended two or more Allianz Park matches this season, ahead of an anticipated general sale on Monday.