Saracens
Try Quintet Quashes Quins
By Darraghgirl
March 23 2014
I have always had mixed views about playing at Wembley (I still think it cost us the Toulouse game) but standing beneath the Bobby Moore statue in the sunshine watching almost 84,000 happy people swarming along Olympic Way, it seemed a good place to be.
No high profile entertainment this time, just a few dubious tribute bands (thought “Elton John” was particularly dodgy) and no heroics from Sarrie with the match ball, instead Lizzie Yarnold delivered it. Unfortunately “that song” made a reappearance – to the usual stilted reception.
Sarries started with Maku Vunipola and Owen Farrell (who was greeted with a huge cheer when his name was announced). Quins chose to rest Brown, Robshaw and Care although Joe Marler did start and there was a late change when Tom Williams was injured in the warm up to be replaced by Smith. There was also, what appeared to be a welcome change on the refereeing front with Tim Wigglesworth taking over the whistle from JP Doyle who was originally rostered.
The early skirmishes were a tad attritional with a superb touch finding kick from Ashton the high light. Then Strettle made a promising break from his own half only to be felled in his track apparently by a loose arm from Fa’asavalu. A prolonged injury break, featuring a taste-less Mexican Wave ended with Stretts being carried off on a stretcher. Strangely Mr Wigglesworth did not ask for another look at the incident but the citing officer may well do!
Duncan Taylor took his place on the wing. The play continued to be scrappy with possession being turned over too easily when suddenly Ashton intercepted an optimistic pass from Easter in his own 22. He shrugged off 2 defenders and backing himself, headed off in a straight line (note Mr Lancaster, didn’t go sideways) for the try line with the Quins’ defence trailing haplessly in his wake. Of course it ended in the swallow-dive. One of his more spectacular ones. In fact he seemed a bit winded afterwards! Faz converted and Sarries were on their way 7-0.
Unfortunately, despite this early score, Sarries didn’t kick on. Despite excellent work from Brits (who was inspired) and Kruis, there were too many handling errors and too many penalties from a rather whistle-happy Mr Wigglesworth. Yet again the scrum didn’t look as solid as one might have hoped. Eventually Ash, maybe still reliving his try, fumbled carelessly with a non-threatening ball in his own 22 and conceded an attacking scrum from which Quins won a penalty and Evans kicked the points for 7-3.
Almost immediately Faz restored the 7 point lead with a penalty from near half way. Sarries continued to attack and an excellent carry by Brits found Wiggy who put Kruis into a gap and he cruised through (sorry) to score under the posts even including his own rendition of the swallow dive. An easy conversion took Sarries into a 17-3 lead but again they didn’t kick on. Quins won a kickable penalty from the restart but went for the corner. After a couple of dangerous looking mauls, Dickson found a gap and scored. Evans converted and Quins were back in touch at 17-10. Again Sarries got a penalty almost straight away which Faz kicked for 20-10 and shortly afterwards seemed to have won another penalty from almost the same spot. This time, however, there was a bit of off-the-ball stuff between Marler and Wigglesworth where Marler appeared to take Wiggy off the ball and Wiggy retaliated. The TMO deemed that the penalty be reversed.
As half time approached, both teams made errors. Finally a lovely kick ahead down the left wing by Faz would undoubtedly have put Stetts through for a try. Unfortunately Taylor in his place didn’t have the gas but it didn’t matter. Farrell this time read a lazy pass from Evans and scored under the posts. He converted his own try and Sarries went in for half time oranges 27-10 ahead.
Sadly Greg Rutherford only caught 2 out of 3 balls but still £10,000 went to Sport Relief. 
The second half started where the first had left off. Burger seemed to have tackled Fa’asavalu a bit late but the TMO let it go. Then Borthwick went to the bin for taking Kennedy out in the air at the lineout. The inevitable Quins’ score followed when the penalty was kicked to touch and the maul seemed to have got over the line however maybe not and the ball came out to Smith who touched down in the corner. Evans completed a tricky conversion and once again Quins were back in the game at 27-17.
Some dodgy refereeing at the scrum, 7 v 8, gave first Quins then Sarries a penalty, neither kickable. Stevens replaced a rather ineffective Johnson and de Kock came on for an increasingly exasperated Wigglesworth. There was a huge cheer when a smiling David Strettle was shown on the big screen. Brits continued his good form with lovely defence and a long kick to touch of which Farrell would have been proud. Quins were forced to defend and eventually screwed the ball into touch. Brits took a short 1-2 lineout with Kruis at the front then headed off for the line. He was hauled down a couple of meters short but off loaded to Burger who scored inside him for the bonus point try. Farrell finally missed a kick but the score was now 32-17.
There was another huge cheer when it was announced that Sale had beaten Saints and now the bench started unloading with George replacing Brits, a bearded Brown replacing Wray and Barrington replacing Mako. Shortly afterwards Charlie replaced Faz who had demonstrated all his England skills with deft touches, flat passes and intelligent kicks and Botha came on for Kruis. Farrell got the official man of the Match accolade but I thought Kruis and/or Brits just shaded it.
Quins’ players seemed to be lying around on the lush Wembley turf pretty much everywhere suffering from cramp or whatever and Mr Wigglesworth seemed very lenient with an almost continual procession of physios coming on and off the pitch.
As the clock ticked down I became aware that instead of 83,889 people there were barely 50,000 now remaining in their seats. Must be quite demoralising for the players when so many regard getting out of the car park as more important than watching the game! In a way they missed the most sublime moment. Sarries turned down a kickable penalty and from the lineout, Marcello Bosch appeared from nowhere and floated over the line to score Sarries’ 5th try. Hodgson duly converted and that was that.
At the end of the day the score line probably flattered Sarries and a better team would have punished the handling errors but what the heck. A five try, five point win isn’t to be sniffed at. A quinary of tries, a quintuplicate victory, Sarries 39 Quins 17.
(For anyone who cares, please excuse the spelling, I've just run 6 miles round the Olympic Park for Sportrelief. Not bad for an old girl who's closer to 60 than 50!)
Teams:-
SARACENS: Goode, Ashton, Bosch, Barrett, Strettle (Taylor), Farrell (Hodgson), Wigglesworth (De Kock), Vunipola (Stevens), Brits (George), Johnson (Barrington), Borthwick, Kruis (Botha), Wray (Brown), Burger, Joubert.
HARLEQUINS: Lindsay-Hague, Smith, Hopper, Casson, Monye (Turner Hall), Evans, Dickson (Stuart), Marler (Lambert), Gray (Ward) Sinckler (Doran Jones), Kennedy (Trayfoot), Robson, Fa’asavalu (Guest), Wallace, Easter
SCORERS:
Saracens: Tries – Ashton, Kruis, Farrell, Burger, Bosch, Conv – Farrell (3), Hodgson (2), Pens – Farrell (2)
Harlequins: Tries – Smith, Dickson Conv – Evans (2) Pens – Evans
Attendance:- 83,889 (a new world record for any club match in world rugby)
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth (RFU)
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Stumbleupon23/03/2014 17:19
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014:04:02:20:37:35 by Darraghgirl.
Agree totally about the Mexican wave when Stretts was down. Very poor show.
But great to read the highlights, well done.
Will enjoy watching the game again tomorrow!
Innings
Points win matches: tries win hearts and minds.
They waved at the time, as they were in good spirits and enjoying themselves, but they also cheered Strettle when they understood what may have happened, and saw him fit and well later on the big screen.
Thanks for the report DG.
Regardez mon visage. Suis-je bovvered?
I'm certainly not going to correct it now, and probably won't at all. Typing this has occasioned about 50 corrections, hic
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
I'M an Ulster fan looking for a ticket for the 1/4 final.All your returns sold out in about a minute. If any of you no longer need a ticket I would be delighted to buy it. I went to school with Mark McCall's brother if that helps! Give me a call on 07812814041. Thanks.
Alan Rosbotham
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