By BrianC
February 16 2005

If two teams could be used to illustrate the topsy turvey nature of our sport one could do a lot worse than look at the example set by Saracens and London Irish this season.

Our 20 - 3 victory over them last October was one of our best performances of the season. It heralded a run of games that would take us to the upper reaches of the Zurich Premiership and Saracens into the relegation area.

How things have changed. Our calamitous run since December, the worst ZP one we have had in seven years, has seen us move from that position of comfort to being deep in the relegation mire. Saracens, on the other hand, appear to have turned their season around. They are now talking, with some justification, about the likelihood of Heineken Cup qualification by dint of ending up in the top half of the table. Ironically our one bright spot in the past few months has been a, somewhat fortuitous, victory over the fez boys at Watford in the quarter final of the Powergen Cup.

Given our recent record it seems churlish to hark back to past achievements but it is worth noting that we have not lost at Vicarage Road since March 2001. That string of victories included a 13 - 55 demolition by us in November of the same year. I was not privileged to be at that game, many of those who were regard it as the finest London Irish performance of the professional era.

So what are our chances on Sunday afternoon? A straightforward look at the recent results of both teams would indicate that we are set for a fall. The truth however is never quite that simple. Whilst we lost our last game against Sale many observers feel that it was on the back of a much improved performance. Tofty, normally the most reliable of kickers, had a bad day at the office. Had he not we would arguably have won that game and not be as downcast as we currently feel.

The gap between success and failure in the Zurich Premiership is miniscule. This season, more so than any I can remember recently, any team is capable of  defeating the other. Can we turn our fortunes around with a victory on Sunday? Yes, of course we can. Will we? We'll know by around 4.45 that day.