By Behindthebench
October 10 2016

Saracens 30 - 14 Wasps, Aviva Premiership Rugby, Sunday 9 October, Allianz Park.  Fair to say that this one had been anticipated eagerly since the fixtures were announced, all the more in recent weeks given Wasps' recent form. Consequently, an all too rare sell out saw tickets gone before kick off, although the attendance was announced as 9911. The other 88 missed out on a real treat as Sarries hit the summit with this key win against a previously undefeated Wasps with a late surge in the closing eleven minutes.

Personally, it marked a fitting climax to four days of rugby - scored my first try in months in tag rugby and my team actually won on Thursday. Then off to Bath on Friday and the Twickenham double of Harlequins and Argentina on Saturday. Back to the topic in hand and it was interesting to be able to watch half of the Premiership sides in one weekend. Hardly rocket science but it was the sides with the more clinical edge and quickness of thought which won, and yet, again this was in abundance in Saracens' victorious performance. Bizarre pre-match weather - customary rain affecting Behind The Bench towers but accompanied by blazing sunshine added to the sense of not knowing what to expect - Wasps' relentless attacking display of February or the side successfully cowed in the festive win at Coventry, and, to a lesser extent, in the European semi-final at Reading.

After the solid display at Bristol, Saracens made a number of adjustments to the starting XV. Sean Maitland returned from injury at full back, with Mike Ellery remaining on the right wing, with Marcelo Bosch replacing Nick Tompkins in the centres alongside Brad Barritt, whilst Chris Wyles swapped to the left wing to dislodge Matt Gallagher. Alex Lozowski stayed at fly half alongside the returning Richard Wigglesworth, in place of Ben Spencer. In the forwards, Mako Vunipola kept at loosehead but Schalk Brits came in at hooker and Juan Figallo made a rare start at tighthead. Maro Itoje and George Kruis remained in the second row but the back row was adjusted as Michael Rhodes came in alongside Schalk Burger and Billy Vunipola.  Still no return for Owen Farrell, and no specialist fly half on the bench so presumably Maitland would deputise if needs be with Gallagher coming in to push Wyles to full back. The bench featured Jamie George, Titi Lamositele, Petrus du Plessis, Jim Hamilton, Jackson Wray, Spencer, Tompkins and Gallagher

Talking of a clinical edge, Wasps certainly possessed that last week, turning what was a tight game into a demolition of Harlequins on the power of their incisiveness rather than superiority in territory or possession. Perhaps surprisingly, or a nod to the rotation policy that has served Saracens so well, the whole front row was changed by the visitors, so Simon McIntyre, Tom Cruse (a late change for Tommy Taylor) and Marty Moore starting although the second row pairing of Matt Symons and Kearnan Myall was the same as last week (with Joe Launchbury returning on the bench). Injuries in the past week to Sam Jones and Guy Thompson, the in-form back row duo, meant changes were enforced here so Ashley Johnson moved back to his original position at flanker with Thomas Young and Nathan Hughes completing the back row. An unchanged back line, as expected, had Rob Miller at full back with Christian Wade and Josh Bassett occupying the wings outside a centre partnership of Elliot Daly and Jimmy Gopperth. The half back duo was Danny Cipriani and Dan Robson. A particularly strong bench featured Matt Mullen, Tom Cruse, Jake Cooper-Woolley, Alex Rieder, Joe Simpson, Kyle Eastmond and Frank Halai alongside Launchbury.

It would prove to be a cagey first half littered with a series of handling errors and with the sense of a stalemate at times with Wasps denied the space which they thrived on except on one occasion whilst Saracens closed the half with a score founded on pure determination. Sarries had taken just three minutes to get the first try after the opening moments brought an exchange of kicking - a lineout on halfway saw play switch to the right and left again with a purposeful passage of handling earning a penalty just short of the line. From Brits' lineout, Mako Vunipola went over from the rolling maul. The first of a penalty count in Wasps favour saw Saracens penalised for not releasing the tackled player but Wasps' lineout was not straight. Saracens were largely keeping the ball in hand with a series of powerful carries, but with knock ons prevalent for both sides, the intent was there if not the execution.

Wasps continued to lose the ball on contact, Johnson on a couple of occasions, such was the power of the home defence, meaning that when promising positions were gained, they went uncapitalised. No more so than on the 23rd minute when Saracens offended at a lineout, giving Wasps a lineout 10 metres out but the hosts forced a penalty for holding on in the ensuing play. However, they did better four minutes later when an infringement earnt them a second lineout 40 metres out - this time Johnson retained possession on another powerful charge, as the home side were pinged for not rolling away, and Gopperth stepped up for 5-3. Saracens stretched their lead again on the half-hour when the visitors were pushed off their own maul and from the resultant scrum the home side drove forward and earnt the penalty which Lozowski converted.
 
Maitland had slotted back in well with some intelligent running and kicking, but Wasps finally had a chance when two successive penalties gave them the field position they had lacked and the game suddenly ignited. A long pass found its way out to Cipriani lurking on the left wing and with Bassett playing an excellent supporting line on his inside, the winger went in just inside the left hand corner, as the visitors' first piece of incisive play brought dividends, although Gopperth was unable to add the conversion. Right on the stroke of half time, Saracens had a second try which was a mark of sheer determination. Denied an exit from their 22, Wasps opted for a desperate clearance kick which was charged down acrobatically by Itoje and feel neatly for Mako Vunipola to charge forward, then with more powerful go-forward from Burger, the ball was eventually worked into space for Ellery to easily advance over at the right hand corner, but, again, the conversion was missed.

Wasps started the second half brightly as they pressured the Saracens' line for almost ten minutes, initiated by a quick Daly tap penalty which had Cipriani in pursuit of a kick through but Lozowski did exceptionally well to quell the danger, and though the hosts conceded a close range lineout, the consequent maul was defused too. Another raid was blunted when Wade was hauled into touch, but when the home side failed to roll away, Wasps were able to narrow the deficit to 13-11 through Gopperth. As both sides made a flurry of substitutions, Saracens had further breathing space in the 54th minute when, following a scrum 25 metres out, the visitors failed to roll away and Lozowski stepped up to make it 16-11. It was still anyone's game, though, as Bassett was penalised for a deliberate knock on and Saracens kicked for touch to claim a lineout on the edge of the Wasps 22. As Wasps infringed in the maul, Lozowski stepped up for the kick and it drifted wide. ith the penalty count now titling in the home side's favour, they staged another rolling maul but the ball worked loose and the visitors escaped.

That looked to have been costly as a fine run by Bassett along the left set up sustained pressure in the Saracens 22. and though Itoje pulled off an outstanding turnover of possession, an offence at the ruck gave Gopperth the chance to narrow the gap to two points with 13 minutes to go. However, within three minutes, Saracens extended their lead to nine, as a purposeful move down the left initiated by Bosch, Wray and Wyles culminated in George eventually going over from close range. Wasps' hopes of an immediate response were damaged when Itoje made a crucial steal of their lineout 30 metres from the home line, and the home side were soon on the attack again, started from a powerful run by Barritt. Bassett saw yellow for a high tackle as play continued, but when it was pulled back, the kick for the corner set up a close range lineout, rolling maul and George's try, as the home side had gone from the win not even being certain to a five pointer in the space of minutes,

"A reality check for Wasps" was a perhaps rather arrogant assertion about the match from one observer after the match, but this was all about Saracens in any case, adapting their game as the match demanded it, and not only being assertive in defence but seizing their chance for the full five points when the opposition were down to 14 men in the closing stages. The reality is that determination delivered this.

Teams
Saracens
15 Sean Maitland - 14 Mike Ellery (23 Matt Gallagher 68)- 13 Marcel Bosch - 12 Brad Barritt (22 Nick Tompkins 76) - 11 Chris Wyles - 10 Alex Lozowski - 9 Richard Wigglesworth (21 Ben Spencer 71) - 1 Mako Vunipola (17 Titi Lamositele 76) - 2 Schalk Brits (16 Jamie George 51) - 3 Juan Figallo (18 Petrus du Plessis 58) - 4 Maro Itoje (19 Jim Hamilton 76) - 5 George Kruis - 6 Michael Rhodes (20 Jackson Wray 52) - 7 Schalk Burger - 8 Billy Vunipola

Wasps
15 Rob Miller (22 Kyle Eastmond 57) - 14 Christian Wade (23 Frank Halai 71) - 13 Elliot Daly - 12 Jimmy Gopperth - 11 Josh Bassett - 10 Danny Cipriani - 9 Dan Robson (21 Joe Simpson HT) - 1 Simon McIntyre (17 Matt Mullen 55) - 2 Tommy Taylor - 3 Marty Moore (18 Jake Cooper-Woolley 55) - 4 Matt Symons (16 James Gaskell 61) - 5 Kearnan Myall (19 Joe Launchbury 39) - 6 Ashley Johnson (20 Alex Rieder 61) - 7 Thomas Young - 8 Nathan Hughes