By Darraghgirl
June 6 2015

When David Strettle joined Saracens in 2010, few of us could have predicted quite what a diamond he would turn out to be. He hails from Cheshire and started his career playing League, only switching to Union when he moved to the only secondary school in the area which played the 15-a-side game. He started out as a fly half and was also on the books of Manchester City FC. He was also a decent basketball player. He completed a Sports Science degree at Sheffield Hallam University (much to little DG’s delight, she is also an Alumni) and started to play rugby for Rotherham Titans. On his debut he scored 3 tries in 10 minutes! He joined Harlequins from Rotherham in 2006 (Quins played that season in the Championship and hence Strettle's talents came to the notice of the London club.) The following year he won PRA Young Player of the Year.  

Strettle was initially an England sevens player but in 2007 received an unexpected call-up into the senior team for the game against Ireland at Croke Park when Jason Robinson was injured. He marked his debut with a try as England succumbed to the Irish but was retained for the final 2 Six Nations games. He was selected for the England tour of South Africa but a bout of food poisoning meant he missed out on England’s heavy defeat. A fractured metatarsal in a warm-up game ruled him out of the 2007 World Cup and he broke the same metatarsal in the first Six Nations game against Wales in 2008 which kept him out of the rest of the tournament. He suffered the same injury yet again playing for Quins and sadly these frequent injuries also lead to an affectionate nickname “Sicknote”.

Surgery involving a type of polyfilla repaired the bone (which reputedly resembled chalk!) and he has had little problem since. He was also caught up in the infamous “night of passion” saga which occurred during the 2008 tour of New Zealand. An RFU investigation found him not guilty but at the very least he was naïve. His last season with Quins was 2009-10 when he again was troubled with injury. He scored 14 tries in 59 appearances for them before a somewhat surprising move north of the river. It is easy to forget that another stalwart, Nils Mordt moved with him.

Strettle’s arrival was not uniformly welcomed! Comments such as “Yeah, too many fast moving hired guns doing ‘the rounds’” and “just another England mercenary” were commonplace. 2010 was a new era for Saracens. The end of the previous season had seen a controversial cull of some of Sarries’ best loved players overseen by new coach Brendan Venter and CEO Edward Griffiths and the arrival of a number of South Africans including Schalk Brits and Deryck Houghard along with the likes of Jacques Burger. The results spoke for themselves and Sarries had made it to a first Premiership Final. It was undoubtedly this ambition and the chance to play in big games which tempted Strettle to Watford. The incumbent wings were Michael Tagicakibau, Kameli Ratuvou, Noah Cato, James Short & Chris Wyles. (Who would have bet at the time that Wylesy would outlast them all!)

Stretts made his first appearance for Sarries as a substitute against Sale where he scored a try on debut. He repeated the feat scoring against Leeds Carnegie in his first start for the club. 2010-11 was of course a fantastic season for Sarries and Strettle helped the club to a second final at Twickenham scoring 6 tries along the way (including one against his old club Quins at Wembley) and consolidating his place in the team. Saracens won their first Premiership title with a heroic win over Leicester Tigers. His form was good enough to earn him a place in Martin Johnson’s World Cup training squad although sadly he didn’t make the final cut (shades of déjà vu methinks).

2011-12 saw 3 more tries including one against Quins at Twickenham in the Big Game and 2 more European tries. The following season saw the arrival of Chris Ashton and the formation of most potent wing partnership in England. A friendly rivalry seemed to develop between the two of them, inspiring each of them to score even more! Stretts didn’t complete the partnership until the 5^th game of the season (a 16-6 win away at Franklin’s Gardens). He then claimed his first brace away at Leicester followed by his first hat-trick in a Premiership record time against Worcester (a record broken only recently by Ashy against London Welsh). A try at home to Munster added to his total of 9 for the season – his best so far for the club.

The summer tour to Argentina saw his 14^th and last appearance for England when he scored his second international try but England’s loss was Sarries’ gain. 2013-14 was even more prolific with a total of 15 tries in all competitions. By now Stretts had made the touchline his own. He seemed to know within millimetres where the white line was and was unerringly just on the right side. He made the south east corner his own, scoring so many times on that square metre of “turf”. He was able to contort his body in all sorts of ways to ensure the ball stayed in play. Sometimes he seemed to be airborne and the only part of him that was actually on the ground was the hand holding the ball. He scored on his 100^th appearance for the club, in a win away at Bath in February.

The 2014-15 season was to be his last in England and to be honest, who could blame him. He finally won a well-earned place in Bomber’s World Cup training squad although few believe it was anything more than lip-service following another great season. It seems that the talent, flair, style we see day-in day-out at Allianz is not what is required in the national squad. The season started with a hat-trick against Wasps in the double header. More scores followed including a vital try in the LV cup semi-final against Northampton which probably ensured his selection in the team which beat Exeter in the final with Stretts scoring twice. Interestingly he also scored twice in the home victory over Clermont which, added to the 2 tries he scored against them in 2010-11, probably ensured he was well on their radar and when the time came it was Clermont who claimed his signature. He scored 13 tries this season and was a member of the Aviva Premiership winning team, claiming his second winner’s medal. What a shame the announcement of his departure occurred after the final and we weren’t able to give him the send-off he deserved.

Stretts made well over 100 appearances for Saracens. His final try for the club, in the 68-17 demolition of London Welsh in the last game of the regular season, made him club’s highest try scorer with 35, taking over from Richard Haughton. (Typically, he had no idea until someone at the club told him!) Incidentally it may be a short-lived record as both Ashton and Wyles need only 9 to overtake him! At 31, while still in his prime, he isn’t getting any younger and no-one would blame him for earning a few euros overseas while he can to set him up for the future. Saracens fortunately have a number of others who can attempt to fill his speedy boots, not least the versatile Chris Wyles, sevens star Mike Ellery and exciting young prospect Nathan Earle but he will be missed.

Stretts paid tribute to the club in his statement saying "Something special really has been happening at Saracens in the past few years, and I feel very privileged to have been part of this period of success, on and off the field. We have won some famous matches and several trophies, but the bond within the squad has been incredible and it's fantastic to see this culture producing a new generation of top young players. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Nigel, Edward and Mark, and all the coaches and staff. I have had an amazing five years at Saracens and am now really looking forward to a new chapter in my career, playing at ASM Clermont Auvergne and testing myself in the Top 14."

So long Stretts, and thanks from all the (uno) fish!