By TheSaracens
October 26 2021

Before going on, it is my sad duty to bring to your attention the serious matter of a nasty assault on me – while enjoying a quiet pint of Wolfpack Pilsner behind the North Stand - by a drunken wasp, resulting in your truly suffering a fat lip. Which yellow and black be-scarved and shirted follower of our old rivals perpetrated such a disgusting act in our own home, you may ask? Were they apprehended?? Fret not - It was in fact an actual wasp, which had decided to fly down to take a sip of my pint just before I picked up the glass to take a draught myself, resulting in my nearly swallowing the little Pest which, in its attempt to escape an unpleasant end within my digestive system, planted its sting into my bottom lip and fell, thoroughly sozzled, to the ground; was this a bad omen for the afternoon, or as Alanis Morissette might put it, just too ironic? Interestingly, I discovered as the afternoon wore on that cold beer is most efficacious in soothing stung lips. Enough about my problems....

In terms of the teams, our squad is largely as per last week’s demolition of a hapless Bath, with just a few switchrounds, Marco Riccioni swapping places with Vincent Koch, Nick Isiekwe moving up to the second row, Andy Christie stepping into the back row in Nick’s place, and Dom Morris starting at outside centre with Alex Lozowski taking a seat on the bench.

Wasps, regrettably, are heavily depleted, missing no fewer than 15 players so I understand – including the likes of Alfie Barbeary, Dan Robson, Joe Launchbury, Josh Bassett, and Brad Shields.

Despite a depleted squad, Wasps will undoubtedly put up a good fight, and my mind drifts back to the last time the teams met at what was Allianz Park when a similarly "weak" Wasps side that we'd all expected to see swatted away beat Sarries 28-18. 

Our old rivals are led today by the (very) old warhorse that is Jimmy Gopperth, and include in their ranks two familiar names from Sarries’ recent past, Ali Crossdale and Robin Hislop.

The teams come out into the sunshine, with Malins sporting a pair of black leggings (following the extremely recent relaxation of Law 4 by World Rugby) and a noticeably impatient-looking Farrell walks to the centre of the pitch and stands, ball in hand and ready to get on with things, before the ref is ready.

StoneX is buzzing (sorry)…as is my lip….

The first meaningful action results in an early Wasps penalty for blocking; the danger is cleared, though, as Itoje wins the line-out but back come Wasps from a Davies clearance. The 38-year old Gopperth is already looking busy and will seek to be a calming influence on his side today.

Sarries are getting into their stride now and surge forward, trying to punch through the Wasps line and win a penalty in front of the posts for a high tackle on Billy. Farrell casually dispatches the kick and on 4 minutes it’s 3-0.

Billy, getting back to his brutal best this season, pushes forward from the restart, but Wasps pick up a clearance and try to run the ball – below strength as they are, the impression is already forming that this will not be another double-figures try win.  

Goode takes mark, then Malins makes his first attempt at a break, with Wasps defending well during a good spell of possession for Sarries as the game settles down; Malins tries again can’t quite get clear on the left as our lads keep going.

Farrell fails with a 50-22 attempt (must have taken him taken him back to his rugby league days…), while the two elder Vunipolas are showing both their range of skills, and indeed what England are missing, although the selfish Sarrie in me can’t help thinking that the nation’s loss is our gain.

Sarries win a scrum in front of the posts and rumble forward but play is pulled back for a penalty as we continue to look busy and purposeful against sterner opposition than we faced at the Rec: another easy kick for Farrell and the scoreboard ticks along to 6-0 after 10 minutes.

Possession changes hands following the restart, and Sarries drive forward through George, then Malins and Morris chase the loose ball but Wasps manage to regain possession and clear; back come Sarries with some quick ball play from Koch after good work from Farrell and Billy setting up George in space to cross the whitewash under the posts for the game’s first try. Farrell adds the extras and at 13 minutes it’s 13-0 with Sarries starting to get a grip on proceedings.

That try demonstrates clearly that our forwards are as skilled as some sides’ backs......

Wasps keep going but are stopped as they try to work forward from halfway, and Gopperth then shows his enduring class as he plants a successful 50-22 into Sarries’ territory: it’s then a penalty to Wasps as they work hard to gain a foothold in the game, moving closer to the line and winning still another penalty from the line-out . Play stops for a Wasps injury they could well do without.

Gopperth elects to kick for the posts and at 17 minutes the score is now 13-3.

Possession changes hands during the next spell of the game, as a Gopperth kick is blocked but back they come until the ball is knocked forward.

After some balletic work from Goode, a lively and hardworking Tompkins breaks with his usual purpose, Maitland finds George and then Goode appears at the sharp end of the move he'd started, with Itoje setting up Malins to cross the line in the corner for a truly spectacular try on 21 minutes.

 Farrell kicking from left of the posts makes it 20-3.

Sarries keep the pressure on, winning a penalty from the restart, and although Wasps regain the ball and clear, with the maul piling forward from the line-out we the second scrum of the match, and I exchange surprised looks with the chap next to me when we both realise this. 

Sarries try to move the ball quickly but it’s knocked on, although Wasps’ advantage expires as they try to spread play and although Sarries regain the ball the handling in possession goes awry.

Another Wasps player is down injured, and it’s hard not to sympathise.

Sarries reach close to the Wasps line, winning a penalty for a high tackle on the rampaging Billy; Farrell kicks to 5 metres out, the maul forms....and Wasps steal the ball, lose possession, and then regain it; Sarries try again to work something, but a mis-pass gives it away, with Sarries’ handling somewhat “off” at this point, but when we do regain possession Koch breaks clear but without any support.

Sarries continue to probe, with Morris trying to make something happen, with Wasps countering through Kibirige but it’s a penalty to Sarries for not releasing.

Wasps make two more substitutions and after 30 minutes the have already used half their bench.

Wasps pick up the ball from a scrappy line-out but it’s a scrum to Sarries from which we win a penalty; Farrell kicks to the Wasps 40 metre line. Tompkins continues to work hard.

It’s another penalty to Sarries as we move into the last 5 minutes of the half; Farrell kicks to 15 metres out and from the maul we surge forward on the short side, then play moves back inside as Mako, Itoje and George have a go with Wasps defending hard.

Sarries win a scrum which spins round giving Billy an opening to push over on 39 minutes, leaving Farrell to kick from the right of the posts for 27-3, then Davies lofts the ball into touch shortly afterwards to end the half..

Clearly, Sarries are in a commanding position on the scoreboard, and can build a decent score - albeit not on the scale of last week’s hangover-inducing tally as even a badly weakened Wasps won’t give this up easily - if they tighten up on the handling a little….but perhaps I’m being picky...

The sweeping move involving Goodey at both ends of the pitch is worth the price of admission alone.

I’m sensing not for the first time this season that there’s a subtle change happening with Sarries’ playing style, maybe reflecting the move towards a more expansive game in the Premiership, perhaps due to the evolving squad at Sarries and the likes of Max Malins and Alex Lozowski returning with their attacking game enhanced by their year of experience elsewhere, and/or maybe even the fresh input from Mark McCall’s slightly revamped coaching team.

Whatever it is, the way Sarries are playing almost reminds me of the Leinster side that knocked us out of the Champions Cup in 2018 at its best, when a notable feature of Leo Cullen’s game plan was to pose an attacking threat from any point…….not that it did them a lot of good at St James’s Park the following year…….

Off we go for the second half, still in perfect playing and watching conditions, and it’s an early penalty to Sarries for offside but a smart Davies tap and go is stopped for reasons I couldn’t see; back we come though and from the line-out Isiekwe and then Earl go close to the line, and the ball is worked across to Earl again before George’s soft hands set up Malins to score on the left at 42 minutes.  Farrell misses from out wide so the score stays at 32-3 - most importantly, though, the bonus point has been earned.

Sarries push forward again from the restart, and Malins almost gets in for his hat trick but fails to latch onto a clever Farrell chip through the Wasps line;  somehow Wasps clear from behind he try line and it’s a scrum to Sarries.

Morris shortly afterwards manages to dive over the line but is held up and it’s one of those (fairly) new-fangled goal line drop-outs; that big bully Billy powers his way forward, Morris has another go, as does Malins, but this promising spell is ended when the ball is knocked forward – the scrum is stolen by sarries though, and we have a penalty.

A well-worked line-out on the 5 metre line and the maul inches forward, it's another penalty from whch another Davies tap and go gets him over the line but the ref’s having none of it, following which  Wasps fly forward through the pacy duo of Crossdale and and Kibirige but the even quicker Malins just gets back in time and it’s Sarries’ turn for a goal line drop out.

Wasps go again in a good spell for them, winning a penalty advantage but are unable to exploit the situation as they’re pulled back.

Sarries freshen up  the front row with the welcome sight of the legend that is Barrington returining to action, and Van Zyl comes on for Davies – I can see these two providing good competition although I think Van Zyl keeps play moving better.

Wasps pile towards Sarries’ line in a good spell of pressure, work the ball wide and a still sprightly Gopperth scampers over on the right after 53 minutes but then misses his own conversation to take the score to 32-8.

Sarries try to create something but  Itoje mis-passes under pressure and from one end to the other Kibirige again flies forward, outpacing Farrell to go over on 56 minutes; after a check for knock on (the ball clearly came off his leg) the ref awards the try and as Gopperth adds the extras for 32-15 and a little anxiety creeps in. 

Wasps have their tails up now and try to push forward to give the Sarries faithful something to really worry about -  Itoje blocks a kick, but back they come. Another ex- Sarrie joins the fray in the imposing form of Hislop.

The game goes on with Malins striding forward but is stopped, then a Tompkins infringement gives Wasps a penalty – Sarries have switched off a little, as they had early on against Falcons and perhpas more undertsndably during a spell in the second half at the Rec last week; Van Zyl clears our lines and another Wasps surge is halted by a penalty to Sarries.

The ball is worked well by Maro and the impressive Van Zyl before a looping Farrell pass sets up Malins to glide gleefully over on 62 minutes for a richly deserved hat trick;  Farrell, however, misses the conversion to leave the score at 37-15, to some relief.

Wray is on for Billy who’s had another good game – his mojo is definitely working once more.

In very short order, Sarries pass the 40-point mark after a poor kick from Wasps reaches  Malins who feeds the ball inside to Farrell who breaks forward and plays a return pass out for Malins to cross the line for his 4^th try on 64 minutes, although Farrell again misses the conversion to keep the score at 42-15 – the score, his seventh in two games, is Malins’ last action today as Lewington replaces him with Swinson also replacing Isiekwe, and Lozowski also arrives on the field.

So Gopperth is human after all – he messes up the restart, slicing the ball into touch and giving a scrum to Sarries on the half way line which in turn gives us a penalty, but the opportunity of getting close to a half century of points is lost when Wasps steal the ball from the line-out; we do get closer to the “magic number” shortly afterwards, however, when great work from Earl sets Lozowski and Lewington off to score the sweeping try that is fast becoming a Sarries trademark, as the Alexes exchange passes to put Lozowski over – Farrell  converts this time and we’re at 49-15.

Saries just need to manage the game out now; Wasps keep going, though, working the ball outside then across but it’s a penalty to Sarries off, I think, Hislop.

Farrell kicks very long and Wasps steal the line-out but the ball is forced into touch for another Sarries line-out which is better worked this time and we push forward; the ball is played out to Lozowski who is pulled down, and then Barrington has a go.

Sarries win a penalty and Van Zyl has more luck then Davies in being allowed a tap and go and we attack again but the ball is knocked forward, and then another Sarries surge is halted by a penalty to Wasps.

The game reaches its dying minutes now as Wasps keep going but play is getting a little loose as we move past the 80-minute mark.

In “overtime”, Farrell picks up the ball, Lewington charges forward, Barrington and Swinson push hard, Itoje and Riccioni both reach the line, and then Tompkins is stopped but the ball is flipped across to Earl who wriggles over on 82 minutes to take us beyond the half century, with the final act of the game seeing Farrell taking the score to 56-15

Sarries are in very, very good shape both as a squad and in terms of the league table – the lethal Malins is an obvious standout but the whole squad, (relative) veterans, returnees and youngsters alike, is performing as I’m sure Mark McCall would wish (although he will demand even higher standards), notwithstanding of course the tendency to switch off for periods as mentioned above, but that will right itself and it hasn’t cost us so far; we’re third in the table with an already huge points difference and a game in hand on Tigers.

Bring on Quins - a very different challenge to a weakened Wasps but as the old saying goes, you can only beat what’s in front of you. I’m confident about next Sunday.

TEAMS:

Saracens: 15 Goode; 14 Maitland; 13 D Morris; 12 Tompkins; 11 Malins; 10 Farrell  9 Davies 1 M Vunipola; 2 George; 3 Koch; 4 Itoje; 5 Isiekwe; 6 Christie; 7 Earl;  8 B Vunipola

Replacements: Woolstencroft, Barrington, Riccioni, Swinson, Wray, van Zyl, Lozowski, Lewington.

Wasps: 15 Crossdale; 14 Kibirige; 13 McHenry; 12 Simonds; 11 Minozzi    10 Gopperth; 9 Hougaard; 1 West; 2 Cruse; 3 Scholtz; 4 De Chaves; 5 Cardall; 6 Morris; 7 Young; 8 Carr

Replacements: Holling, Hislop, Millar-Mills, Stooke, Curran, Porter, Mathews, Mehson.

Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)

Captains in BOLD