By Sparkie
March 14 2003

Predicting the winners of Saracens v. London Wasps is easier than most. Poor old Sorries have won just four games out of 19 encounters. Wasps have won the last two matches at Vicarage Road too. Given the teams respective form, we should make it a hat-trick if we don't get overconfident. Nigel Wray's gravy boat looks to have run dry but he is determined to stay on to usher in the brave new world of professional rugby next season. Salaries are being cut, players may be out of work soon - so the spin goes. Back in 1996 it all looked so different. Michael Lynagh and Francois Pienaar, among others had arrived post-1995 RWC.

Eventually unrivalled marketing and community programmes were put in place by Sorries. A league runners-up spot was won. Sorries even whipped a downbeat, injury-ravaged Wasps in the 1998 Cup final at Twickenham to help ride the crest of the wave. Finally our north-east London neighbours were going places.

After the rise came the inevitable fall. Big names do not always perform. Without adequate quality control, like an F1 car, Sorries may stall on the grid or break mid-race. It has been downhill for them almost all the way since that most excellent cup win -- Wasps will not begrudge them it, since it pointed our way back to the top echelon.

And so we look back to last season's respective fixture. A 20-14 win to Wasps on a very long mid-April afternoon. Try as we might, we just couldn't hand the points to Sorries towards the end of a dull, error-strewn match. The be-fezzed ones were getting ready to celebrate an unlikely victory after Ben Johnson's well-taken 60 metre break. Sir Trevor had other ideas and escaped through the middle of a maul with the ball on the Sorries ten metre line After drawing the last line of defence on the 22, he popped a pass inside to Ian Jones who did an impression of a gazelle rather than the more usual giraffe and the Kamo Kid scored his final points of his illustrious career.

This season Sorries are in freefall again. We thrashed them 51-23 at Adams Park in September. While we have never reached those dizzy heights again, four straight defeats have left Sorries drifting perilously towards the foot of the table.

Wayne "Buck" Shelford is at the helm since Pienaar's departure and he won't accept second best, especially not at home. However, his pack remains underpowered and his backs perform in fits and starts. Injuries are also dogging the squad's performances, hence the shuffling of Timmy Horan to fullback, Thomas Castaignède to stand-off and Nicky Little to second five-eighth. Perhaps Wayward is having an effect on coaching in this country after all!

Warren Gatland is keen to keep us winning until the playoffs. A loss here to Sorries will be difficult to claw back with so few games remaining even though we have a relatively easy run-in with Bath, Quins and Bristol to come. Sorries have never beaten us by six points which indicates another dour struggle is on the cards on Sunday.

Our pack gets a slight reshuffle as Will Green is out with a calf strain. Andy Kershaw who was on loan to Sorries earlier this season comes in at loosehead. Phil Greening gets his first start in ages with Sir Trev moving to the bench. Craig Dowd celebrates signing on for two more seasons by showing his versatility and switching to tighthead. Oogie Erinle and Mike Roberts are included on the bench as Gats keeps the squad on its toes.

London Wasps: 15 Mark Van Gisbergen; 14 Josh Lewsey, 13 Fraser Waters, 12 Stuart Abbott, 11 John Rudd; 10 Alex King, 9 Rob Howley; 1 Andy Kershaw, 2 Phil Greening, 3 Craig Dowd, 4 Simon Shaw, 5 Richard Birkett, 6 Joe Worsley, 7 Paul Volley, 8 Lawrence Dallaglio (Capt.)

Bench: 16 Martyn Wood, 17 Ayoola Erinle, 18 Mike Roberts, 19 Mark Lock, 20 Peter Scrivener, 21 Alistair McKenzie, 22 Trevor Leota

Saracens: 15 Tim Horan; 14 Richard Haughton, 13 Ben Johnston, 12 Nicky Little, 11 Darragh O'Mahony; 10 Thomas Castaignede, 9 Kyran Bracken* (Capt.), 1 Christian Califano, 2 Robbie Russell, 3 Mike Storey, 4 Craig Yandell, 5 Stuart Hooper, 6 Tony Roques, 7 Richard Hill, 8 Kris Chesney.

Bench: 16 Johnny Marsters, 17 Matt Cairns, 18 Ben Skirving, 19 Ben Russell, 20 Dan Kirton, 21 Andy Goode, 22 Nathan McAvoy.

Saracens v. London Wasps:

 22 Sep 2002   23 - 51  Adams Park     
 14 Apr 2002   14 - 20  Vicarage Road  
  2 Sep 2001    8 - 12  Loftus Road    
 23 Dec 2000    6 - 25  Loftus Road    
  6 Sep 2000   24 - 30  Vicarage Road  
 13 Feb 2000   17 - 41  Loftus Road    
  7 Nov 1999   27 - 26  Vicarage Road  
  6 Jan 1999   15 - 15  Loftus Road    
 25 Oct 1998   17 - 31  Vicarage Road  
  8 Mar 1998   33 - 27  Vicarage Road  

Related link: Sorries, sailing too many sheets to the wind?