By Jason Harris
January 2 2003

Sarries looking for five wins on the trot? Leicester contemplating the possiblity of their worst losing slump in their history? Surely some mistake? Well, as usual, the form book can be deceiving. Despite being just one place behind the home side in the table, Sarries will be underdogs on Saturday. In true sensationalist fashion, the rugby press are talking of a crisis at Tigers after they lost their five-year unbeaten home record and are currently in their worst slump since 1997-98. But we all know that a wounded Tiger can be very dangerous and Sarries, as first visitors to Fortress Welford after that Saints reverse, could be the side to feel the backlash.

Leicester have struggled of late behind the scrum. A succession of injuries to key personnel such as Austin Healey, have taken the sting out of the Tigers team everyone has become familiar with in recent years.

Up front, the old stagers are still there, but the critics have been queueing up lately to point out that Messrs. Garforth, West, Rowntree, Kronfeld, Back and Johnson are coming to the end of their illustrious carreers and are no longer the forces they were in their prime.

Nonsense. Johnno and his mates will be up for this one and they'll fight almost to the last breath to get a win for ther side. Allied to
the younger (but already proven) Kay and Moody, the Leicester eight are still a formidable unit.

Sarries, meanwhile, are in a state of flux even though they've won on their last four outings. The departures in the last week of second rows Kieron Roche and Craig Quinnell will not have gone unnoticed by the squad.

Wayne Shelford reckons there will be more to follow and the next departures will definitely come before the end of the season. Whether this is a drastic cost cutting move by Sarries or some serious sabre rattling by the coach will be revealed in due course.

So the revolving door keeps on spinning and the latest to be spat out on the RIGHT side is prop Mike Storey. The former Auckland Blues and Northland player has been drafted straight into the squad that travels to Welford Road as playing cover for David Flatman (out injured for the rest of the season) and Andy Kershaw (back at Wasps after his loan spell ended).

The starting fifteen is pretty much like the one that defeated the Tykes, but there is still no sign of Thomas Castaignede, injured in the Cup win over Sale. Though Adryan Winnan is a capable enough deputy at fullback and Tim Horan likewise at outside half, there will be that little je ne sais quoi missing if the mercurial Frenchman does not feature.

This game is a huge one for both sides. If the weather is good or bad, it will still be a bruising forward battle. Sarries should have a slight edge out in the backs due to Leicester's long casualty list, but the game will be won by the side that has the dominant pack.

Despite the Saracens back row being in a real purple patch right now, the wily old heads of Leicester should slow down the ball enough to get their defence organised and keep the more dangerous Sarries back line at bay.

Add to that the Sarries' still suspect defence around the fringes and a complete inability to stop the rolling maul, the Tigers look a sure bet to start their next unbeaten home run.

It won't be pretty and I'm certain that Saracens can give the champions a run for their money but, ultimately, the four points will be beyond them.

Saracens squad:

Winnan; Sparg, Shanklin, Sorrell, O'Mahony; Horan, Bracken (c); Califano, Cairns, Marsters; Hooper, Yandell; Roques, Hill, Chesney.

Replacements: Storey, Ross, Benazzi, Peacey, Kirton, Goode, Haughton.