By Innings
October 10 2021

This weekend, I have watched two completely different styles of rugby.  We know to expect champagne and caviar on offer at The Stoop, beer and a pie up the road at the Stonex.

The current thought seems to be that the Lions played some of the dreariest rugby since the dark days when a 3-0 game in the 4 Nations was considered high-scoring, and that the public have every right to turn off their TVs and fail to watch in person, if that is the future of the game.  Some English clubs have always wanted to play a high-tempo, ball-in-hand game. It is widely felt that the new laws, loss of relegation for a season or two, and desire to justify taking money from sponsors and supporters all offer the perfect opportunity to re-set playing styles.  That would naturally suit those teams, notably Quins and Bears, who have such thoughts ingrained in their souls.  It would not suit some, like Sarries and Chiefs, who have different DNA.

On Friday the two champagne sides played each other.  Quins are the leading exponents of ‘You score three, we’ll score seven’ school. That requires high skill levels, fitness and mutual awareness from the whole team.  Slip from the highest standards in any of those core basics, and the game is gone.  Bears play in the same way, but on Friday, they slipped slightly on skill, slightly on team awareness, and found that fitness was not enough, when their early score advantages were gained at the expense of excess energy consumption.  Fuel runs low quickly when you press the accelerator too hard.

Funnily enough, the beer and pies teams also need skill, fitness and awareness, but they also require a bloody-minded determination that can lift the player to that extra run to cover a gap, to put in the tackle, to chase the kick to harass the opposite number.  So, as I looked at the team sheets and squad lists before the game, I wondered whether Falcons aspire to be a beer and pies team, for which sign the ultimate bloody-minded player, Mike Brown, or a champagne and caviar team, for which sign Adam Radwan.  You can never have too many good players, but you have to sign each one with a reason.  A roster of good players does not necessarily make a good team.  Funnily enough, I do not doubt that whilst Sarries are a beer and pies outfit, they have a champagne streak that can sometimes emerge, unexpectedly, and do great damage to oppositions, and bring great excitement to the supporters.

 As Bears did on Friday, so Falcons yesterday.  Start at 100 mph, score points and hope to have done enough to weather the inevitable counter-storm that must arrive at some stage in the game.  Would 17 points with no reply be enough on Friday?  Would 17 with a three points reply be enough yesterday?  In both games there was a 17-17 moment before the team that got there first would fade and be wound in to lose with not even a losing bonus point to show for their efforts.

So to the game itself.  As well as watching Brown and Rawan, I wanted to watch a number of Sarries players, notably Malins and Isiekwe, as well as the England discards.

Sarries seemed to start OK, and although a poor tackle by Sean Maitland led to a yellow card after seven minutes, back chat by Falcons led to a penalty and three easy points, 3-0.  So often, after a score, minds are not set properly for the re-start, and Sarries were guilty of this unnecessary failing, giving Mike Brown and east debut try for Falcone. 3-7.

Scarcely past that, Newcastle apply all the pressure and within about five minute a gang tackle on Billy Vunipola has him stripped of the ball, with the turnover giving Falcons centre a little work to take the score to a converted try and 3-14.  Almost from the restart, a brilliant piece of work sees Max Malins break for the line, looking to go to his left to evade the mass of Falcons shirts lining up to tackle him.  The ball arrives to his right, so unexpectedly that the commentators are convinced that he has been stripped.  It arrives with Tim Swinson, who makes the line, but is tackled and knocks on.  Replays show that Max has actually given one of the most skilled no-look, back-handed passes that you will ever see.  Tim will be sorely disappointed not to have crowned the move.

Within a minute, a stupid push and pull handbags on the line leads to referee Tempest becoming the latest in a long line to remind Owen Farrell that whilst one is referee, the other is not.  Owen’s petulance at times does neither himself, the team and game in general the slightest good.  It does not help when a simple Falcons offence straight in front of the Sarries posts gives Sarries a chance to clear the line, only for the penalty to be reversed.  Was it Billy’s back-chat or Marco Riccioni’s push on a Falcons player?  Whoever, it gave Falcons a very easy three points and the lead out to 3-17.  Would this be as costly as last week’s stupid reactions against Tigers?

Four minutes after this, on 33 minutes, we had the answer.  Dom Morris tackles Falcons 10, Brett Connon, who is having a good sort of game.  Not just a tackle but if the ground had opened and swallowed Connon it would not have been much more effective.  Watching the Sarries reaction in the next couple of minutes, I was certain that Falcons would be going home empty-handed.  Sarries are now pressing the Falcons line, and a drive brings Jamie George to the line, but not over it because an extraordinary foolish pull-down by George McGuigan on the line gives a penalty try and inevitable yellow card.  After the game, Jamie will say, wryly, that he’s claiming it anyway.  10-17 and the Sarries minds have re-set.

 As we approach half-time, it feels that Falcons have to score next.  They have been rocked by the last ten minutes, even though the gap remains.  As it happens, we see out the half without further event, but with Sarries pressing hard.

 A few minutes after the break, we are back in familiar territory, taking a penalty to put Sarries on the Falcons five-metre line.  The first and second attempts to drive over are foiled illegally, and as Falcons re-gather for the third defensive effort, Jamie takes a tap and go to slip through the tiring bodied and score.  17-17, for the second time this weekend.  We enjoyed the fun of seeing Jamie score in open play, after all, he was the only player to touch the ball and no opposition player touched him, so how open can you get?  The fact that about a dozen players were within three metres of him merely makes the ‘open’ part a bit tighter than usual.

 Only three or four minute later, Newcastle are to give away their sixth or seventh penalty of the new half.  In refereeing terms, the force of the Tempest is not with them.  They are clearly a bit at sixes and sevens, giving Mako Vunipola a chance to profit by shearing through their defence at the line-out maul and score.  24-17 and what next?  A tit-for tat exchange of penalties, 27-17, then a couple of poor restarts that lead to penalties, 30-23.  The clock is nobody’s friend, at 77 minutes,  Falcons need to hang on, and probably have no hope of a try.  Sarries need the win and would dearly like more.

 Some tuneless gong sounds on 80 minutes, but referee Tempest already had his whistle to his lips and calls a Sarries penalty.  My match notes are brief: Penalty for maul collapse, k. to corner, l/o, drive, o/s, k, l/o, drive, Billy T.  37-23. jd.

 Some would say that this was a ‘win ugly’ game, but many in my new home high in the East stand are in the Jacques Burger ‘All I hear is win’ frame of mind.  Not that long ago, a game of six tries and 60 points would be ‘free-flowing’ and ‘high-scoring’.  Jamie is Player of the match.  Ben Eqarl, Nick Isiekwe and Max Malins have benefitted from their loan seasons.  A cameo by Alex Goode reminds us that he is one of the most skilled players ever to wear a Sarries shirt.

 After a horrible journey to the ground, some turgid stuff for half an hour, I am happy. My new seat is comfortable, my new seat neighbours are knowledgeable and friendly, and I get home in half the time that it took me to get to the ground.  The new stand is taking shape.  LBND and the BOD are becoming a very good commentary pairing.  What’s not to like?  Only the dreary Nick Mullins banging on about how people hate Sarries, how they’ll never get over the past, how this, how that.  Time to journey into the present, Nick.

 Saracens: M. Vunipola, George, Riccioni, Hunter-Hill, Swinson, Isiekwe, Earl, B. Vunipola, Davies; Farrell (capt), Maitland, Lozowski, Morris, Lewington, Malins.

Replacements: Woolstencroft, Mawi, Clarey, Reffell, Christie, Van Zyl, Goode, Tompkins.

Sin-bin: Maitland (7 mins).

Newcastle: Brown, Radwan, Stevenson, Lucock, Earle, Connon, Schreuder; Brocklebank, McGuigan, Davison, Fuser, Robinson, Graham, Welch (capt), Chick.

Replacements: Blamire, Cooper, Mulipola, Montgomery, Basham, Nordli-Kelemeti, Haydon-Wood, Wacokecoke.

Sin-bin: McGuigan (37 mins)

Referee: Ian Tempest (RFU).