PUTTING THE GLOS BACK ON THE SEASON


By Behind the Bench
February 16 2016

In the aftermath of Sunday's chaos, the Allianz Park announcer commented: "not the result we wanted, but Saracens are very good at bouncing back". Resilience will be vital after that shocking performance against a Gloucester back line as dangerous as Wasps, but perhaps not as commanding up front, and not always as clinical in taking their chances.

Crucial to Saracens will be a vast improvement in the line speed within defence, not a criticism often levelled at them, but 24 missed tackles told the story of a display in which they were constantly caught out by the pace of the opposition, their speed and assured handling and some powerful breaks straight through the middle. Normally, defeats in recent seasons have been narrow efforts, normally when sides have shown a little bit more craft in their kicking game, power in the forwards or have had a man advantage, Quins this season and Munster last time around spring to mind. As mentioned in the Wasps reports, the number of players on international duty is perhaps not as much a factor as suggested, as the rotation all season consistently brought winning results, and no decline in the effectiveness and coherency of performances. In truth, there is little to support the view that this is anything but a blip against a side who seemed to be building towards a signature performance such as this one. That said, it will no doubt be interesting viewing for Sarries' forthcoming opponents, in particular as Northampton Saints have returned to a running game in recent games compared to turgid forward-dominated gameplans as previously.
 
So, how to recover? Crucial is the mental resilience of the side, and it has never been in doubt before. Gloucester are a side not afraid to run from deep, as with Wasps, so if more of a kicking game is used by Saracens on Saturday, the chase needs to be significantly sharper than in the previous game. If the home side can manage that, and gain an advantage in the scrum, they should be able to gain better territory this time around, and create chances against a side whose maul defence is not as effective as the Coventry side's. However, although consistency seems to elude Gloucester, apart from in the European second tier competition, they have claimed some impressive wins in the Premiership as well, despite sitting in a modest eighth place. They come to NW4 on the back of a commanding 28-6 home win over Harlequins, the only criticism that they didn't finish more of their opportunities, with some excellent creative kicking by the reinvigorated fly half James Hook, after he had capped a fine flowing move across the backs with the opening try on three minutes, putting the memory of slow starts in previous matches behind them. Ben Morgan underlined his England credentials with a powerful second whilst winger Steve McColl grabbed a late third. In total, they made 12 line breaks, even more than Wasps on Sunday, making significantly more ground than their opponents on each carry.
 
A rare win in Bath showed another side to their game, as despite their attacking game being blunted and having a very uncomfortable first quarter as the home side dominated up front, they stayed in contention and ground out a 15-11 win on the banks of the Avon, through a quintet of Hook penalties, having wrestled control of the match and comfortably kept out the hosts. It was only their second away win in the last eleven Premiership matches, as previously, they had lost at Exeter, 19-10 and 19-18 at home to Leicester. However, across all of their recent games, Gloucester's tackle completion has been consistently within the 90s, suggesting that pressing them into mistakes and looking to counter attack quickly could be worth trying, so it's back to an effective chase. However, the visitors are equally well set up for such an approach. The classic 39 all draw in the Big Game at Harlequins proved this, with the pick of the five tries being a sensational solo effort from full back Rob Cook, in a game which saw the Cherry and Whites put together some lethal attacking moves from smart turnovers by the back row. 
 
Other results this season saw a clean sweep of six Challenge Cup wins in a pool containing Zebre, La Rochelle and Worcester Warriors, whilst the Premiership began with a 39-27 win at Newcastle Falcons, built on a dominant scrum. The home opener was a 17-15 home loss to Sarries, as the greater efficiency of the visitors, who scored the only try of the match through Mike Ellery, proved decisive, whilst they went on to edge a 24-22 home win over Worcester, which could have been more comfortable. They failed to make any impact in the 23-3 loss at Wasps, playing the last 30 minutes with 14 men, and were edged out 15-3 at Northampton, before claiming a much-needed win, 23-19 at home to Sale, in which their pack was back to its best, in defence and attack.
 
Turning to possible line ups, Saracens will presumably not persist with the unexpected start of Marcelo Bosch at full back, so Ben Ransom should come in, with Bosch in the centre alongside Brad Barritt, and Mike Ellery continuing with Chris Wyles on the wings. Charlie Hodgson will retain the fly half berth, with Richard Wigglesworth coming in at scrum half. Forwards-wise, Rhys Gill may start at loosehead, alongside Schalk Brits and Titi Lamositele at tighthead. The second row of Jim Hamilton and Alistair Hargreaves looks likely to remain, but, given the number of missed tackles, the back row could be freshened up with Kelly Brown, Will Fraser and Jackson Wray. Gloucester could start Rob Cook at full back, with Charlie Sharples and McColl on the wings, outside a centre partnership of Bill Meakes and Billy Twelvetrees. Hook should combine with Willi Heinz in the half backs. Into the pack, and Paddy McAllister, Richard Hibbard and John Afoa should continue to form the front row, with James Savage at lock alongside Jeremy Thrush. A strong back row should comprise Tongan international Sione Kalamafoni, Matt Kvesic and Morgan

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PUTTING THE GLOS BACK ON THE SEASON
Discussion started by TheSaracens.com , 16/02/2016 21:24
TheSaracens.com
16/02/2016 21:24
Thanks Gerard. I had hoped we might get Alex & Jamie back but apparently not. Lets hope we don't have a repeat of last sunday



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2016:02:28:15:30:31 by Darraghgirl.

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TomSparks
26/02/2016 19:26
Hello fellow Sarries fans! I am currently doing my dissertation at university on reasons why Saracens fans attend home matches and their identification to the club. I would really appreciate it if you could please help me with my research and complete this 2 minute survey - [goo.gl] . Having been a Saracens fan from a young age, I’m intrigued to gain a deeper understanding of fans from such a great rugby club. Thank you for your time and help #SarriesFamily

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