Saracens
Exeter vs Saracens– Match Preview
All that way......
By saracens4life
April 14 2011
For the last ten days, I, like our beloved Men in Black squad, have been across the pond, just up the east Coast from Miami Beach on Manhattan Island, enjoying a leisure-filled time away from the trials and tribulations of a Premiership season; I have little doubt that the players and coaches will be as excited as I am for our first trip down the M5 to the fantastic new addition to English rugby’s top-table: Exeter Chiefs.
For match after match I have looked on with envy as the ESPN team and visiting fans of various other clubs have soaked up the wonderful Wild West atmosphere of the Chief Tribe at Sandy Park. One of the noisiest bunches of supporters that any English club can boast, as we found out for ourselves in the humbling 23-9 defeat at Vicarage Road back in November, the usual near sell-out crowd tends to bring out the best of a passionate and fiery Exeter squad, which makes up for its lack of stellar names with aggression and physicality on the pitch, and under the marvelous stewardship of homegrown Rob Baxter, the Chiefs have exceeded all possible expectations of them: subject to an ongoing investigation over the fielding of an unregistered player, the king-size Fijian Nemani Nadolo, modestly proportioned at 6ft 5in and 19st 7lbs, which could lead to a points deduction, at the time of writing the Premiership new boys occupy 9th position in the table, 15 points ahead of Newcastle, and are looking upwards at possible Heineken Cup qualification, rather than over their shoulders at the relegation dogfight. It is testament to everyone involved with the club that they have come such a long way in such a short space of time – except, perhaps, the man charged with player registrations, who must be feeling a tad embarrassed at the moment!!
And now this Saturday, fresh from a week away from rugby, studying Abstract Expressionism in New York’s finest art galleries, I have the chance to be part of what sounds like a large band of travelling Fezheads, no doubt all as keen as I to acquaint themselves with a new Premiership ground, and maybe a new type of local beer…In his weekly Telegraph piece, Brad Barritt was singing the praises of the squad’s trip to Miami, which combined some innovative training methods with a fair amount of relaxation, and is confident that after a good week of training in the slightly less flamboyant surroundings of the Woollams training ground, the 2nd-placed Men in Black will be ready to continue their quest for a home semi-final.
Against a well-drilled a combative set of Exeter forwards, the Sarries pack will have to front up and show all the Scrooge-like qualities with which we supporters have become familiar over the last month or so. I struggle to see past a starting front row of the continually impressive Matt Stevens, the pocket-rocket Schalk Brits, who having demonstrated a coveted ability to throw an American football properly will be looking to match the outstanding, rampaging performance of his compatriot at Leinster, Richardt Strauss, and at tighthead the evergreen Italian, now 34 years old, Carlos Nieto. Backing them up, in the presumed absence of the mysterious Deon Carstens, I would expect to see Welshman Rhys Gill restored after injury, along with young Jamie George and Petrus Du Plessis. Back to his best form, both at lineout time and around the fringes of the breakdown – two areas of crucial importance in Saturday’s game – Steve Borthwick will captain the side from second row, and as usual, it is anyone’s guess as to who will partner him in the engine room – I would go for the extra bulk of Mouritz Botha, who must be wondering what he needs to do, other than transferring to a proper club, of course, to get some recognition from the England selectors. Either Hayden Smith or Hugh Vyvyan, although both slighter in stature, would, I am sure, do an excellent job.
In the back row, after the return in the Bath match of Namibian captain Jacques Burger, Mark McCall will have a tantalizing range of weapons at his disposal. My preference, given the nature of their Exeter counterparts, would be a starting triumvirate of Scotsman Kelly Brown, Burger, and the consistently amazing Ernst Joubert at Number 8. Young England Saxon Andy Saull would be able to inject pace and exuberance, as well as great support lines, from the bench.
In the backs, Owen Farrell is sure to start at fly-half, and with every passing 80 minutes he looks like a more and more accomplished player, with his pinpoint and aggressive tactical kicking and his tenacity in defence being his two hallmark characteristics. Inside him, I would go for the ex-Sale scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth, allowing the higher-tempo Neil De Kock to join the fray alongside Saull when gaps begin to appear in the opposition defence in the latter stages of the second half. The rock-solid, no nonsense Brad Barritt, who must be even more mystified than Botha as to his omission from the England setup, will wear the #12 shirt, in doing so he will fill me with a certain confidence in the stability of our midfield, as he does every time he plays. Outside him, I have not been convinced by Chris Wyles’ transition to outside centre, however brilliant he is in the back three; I would therefore like to see Adam Powell restored to the #13 berth, with US Eagle Wyles shifting out to join Alex Goode and the red-hot David Strettle in a potent and potentially devastating trio.
In contrast, Exeter will field a backline of less individual talent, but whose members will all run hard, fast and direct, and will relinquish nothing in the collisions. The huge-boot of the stocky ex-Bristolian Luke Arscott can damage sides, as we discovered to our cost in the return fixture. Either side of him, in the absence due to a broken leg of Mark Foster, and the presumed suspension of Lomu Nadolo, the unflashy but uncompromising duo of Matt Jess and Nic Sestaret will occupy the wing positions. In the centres, the Chiefs have accrued a wealth of talent, with 18st Sireli Naqulevuki likely to start opposite Barritt, and either Kiwi Jason Shoemark, a very fine player, or Phil Dollman, double tryscorer at Welford Road earlier in the season, lining up against Powell; neither player is especially lacking in physical attributes, it is suffice to say.
At half-back, the sharp and feisty Haydn Thomas, almost the archetypal scrumhalf, will feed Ulsterman and crowd favourite Gareth Steenson – a normally immaculate kicker at goal, and master of the Sandy Park microclimate of wind – whose presence relegates Wasps-bound Ryan Davis, tormentor of Sarries back in November, to the bench.
It is probably up front, however, that this game will be settled, and in this department the Chiefs can provide a bullish and well-drilled unit. Number 8 Richie Baxter is actually the brother of head coach Rob, emphasising the familial aspect of the club, and he looks set to keep his starting place, with James Phillips, who normally looks like he won’t fit out of the tunnel, on the bench. The two Exeter flankers, James Scaysbrook and Tom Johnson, have together been the revelation of this Premiership season, the former reviving his career after falling out of favour at Bath, and the latter on a meteoric rise from Championship level to surely soon-to-be England Saxons selection. From a Sarries point of view, it is to counteract this pair, and their effect in and around the breakdown, that I would select the equally physical duo of Brown and Burger.
The Exeter second row is, similarly, an area of burgeoning strength, with the athletic lineout exponent James Hanks complementing the Ulster ruggedness and work rate of club captain and true gent Tommy Hayes. The powerful and dynamic Samoan Chad Slade will be on hand to provide impetus from the bench. In the front row, two ex-Northampton props, although both the wrong side of 30 by some distance, have seemingly been given a new lease of life down in the West: loosehead Brett Sturgess showed astonishing pace to score a 60-metre runaway try which sealed the Exeter victory at Vicarage Road; tighthead Chris Budgen, ‘The Chicken’, has finally been taught how to run, and seems to enjoy possession of the ball in the sort of wide spaces to which most 37-year-old props feel quite allergic. He also provides a man of equal chest width to his opposite number Matt Stevens, although I would expect our man to have an edge at scrum time. Hooker Neil Clark will look to pin down Brits into the tight exchanges, but few are able to restrict him that effectively.
As has become the norm for games against Exeter, it is the battle of the gain line and the breakdown which will hold the key to the outcome on Saturday. It will be a combative affair, and the Exeter runners will test our hitherto solid defensive wall; with two sides fairly low down on the try-scoring charts (Saracens 27, Exeter 25), discipline will obviously be of paramount importance. I would expect us to achieve superiority at the set-piece. It seems like the absolutely ideal contest for a man of Steve Borthwick’s attributes – if he is able to continue his recent form, he could well spearhead a Men in Black victory in these crucial tight exchanges. It is yet to be discovered if our back line will start to cut loose and provide the magic it did at the end of last season, and if we were able to do so on Saturday, we may well get significant profit, but at the moment all signs indicate the continuation of our hard-nosed, pragmatic style. There is no better team to test it against than the Chiefs.
The form guide says Sarries, and so would I, but it will be a tight affair. The battle in the stands could end up being just as important as that on the pitch, and we seem to be travelling in pretty decent numbers, so let’s get ready to give our boys all the support they need…I’m certainly feeling excited about this game.
See you at the Gathering…
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Stumbleupon14/04/2011 14:49
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011:04:18:12:31:59 by Fozz1e.
Brett Sturgess won't thank you for saying he's the "wrong side of 30 by some distance". He won't be 30 until November!
See you all on Saturday
Come on you Chiefs!!
See you at the gathering.
just hope I don't peak too soon! 
Safe journey all the Sarries faithful travelling.
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