By TheSaracens
December 2 2022

I’m not proposing to write a blow by blow report of what was essentially a public training hit-out intended to fill a gap in Sarries’ schedule but it was nonetheless an unusual and highly enjoyable day that is worth recalling - and certainly the day’s opposition could be considered very unusual in the rugby scheme of things...   The game was hastily arranged in the wake of Wasps’ well-documented troubles leading to their Premiership fixtures for 2022-23 being cancelled, and like I’m sure many others I was intrigued by the prospect of seeing in action Israel’s first (and only?) professional rugby club, Tel Aviv Heat. The day was to be a double-header, with Saracens Women playing Wasps an hour after the men met the Heat, so a good day’s rugby in prospect.    

None of us knew anything about the Heat although a bit of research told me that as a club they’re only just over a year old and compete in the Eastern Conference of the Rugby Europe Super Cup against Romanian and Georgian opposition, including what has been installed as one of my favourite clubs simply by dint of its monicker - - the splendidly named (The) Black Lion, fighting  to use the old boxing parlance - out of Tbilisi (I feel some merchandise and a rugby weekend in Tbilisi coming on).

I also noted that the Heat’s squad – perhaps not surpisingly for such a new club – was heavily populated with South African and Namibians – many of whom it seems had played Currie Cop rugby – together with players from the Pacific Islands and Israel itself. No familiar names but there was clearly experience in the side.

So maybe the Heat wouldn’t be quite the pushovers everyone was expecting.  

The game was being held on a Sunday due to Saturday being Shabbat (which was seemingly lost on some of those fans who complained on social media about the game not being held on a Saturday, even though Lucy Wray’s message accompanying the announcement of the game had been clear on the point) and I was delighted to note that a number of the Jewish community in NW4 and NW7 had come along to StoneX, some armed with the flag of Israel, to give the Heat a shout – as always I hoped that every new visitor would  have such a great time at our ground that they would want to come back.   

Having arrived at the ungodly hour (for a Sunday) of 10am – well, it was actually ten past by the time we were let in after some indecision among the slightly disorganised staff at Gate A as to whether we could enter the ground at the published opening time of 10am, slightly before then or half an hour later. Once we’d arrived at the Oasis we took breakfast rolls and coffee rather than Pilsner and pies – those were saved for later.

Proceedings began with a tribute to Doddie Weir, who had passed away after a five-year struggle with Motor Neurone Disease during which time he’d done a quite incredible amount to raise both funds for research and public awareness of such a terrible, cruel, disease; I once had the pleasure of meeting Doddie post-match at Vicarage Road in his Falcons days,  and even from that ten-minute conversation over a pint I can attest to his renowned good humour and friendliness. At 52, he was far too young to lose his life.

Needless to say, the minute’s applause was enthusiastically conducted.  

Sarries had opted for a squad resembling the line-ups in our Premiership Cup games, mixed in with a few older heads in the form of Jackson Wray, Callum Hunter-Hill, Andy Christie, James Flynn, Kapeli Pifeleti and Alec Clarey.

 The game itself was from, Sarries’ point of view. not one of our finest 80 minutes, with the Heat proving right my feeling that they wouldn’t be pushovers as they hit their straps early and quickly demonstrated that they were experienced, well-coached, well-organised, well-versed in the set pieces and possessed of both muscle and pace.

 After taking an early lead with a penalty and then a try within the first 10 minutes, and even surviving a bit of pressure from Sarries, the Heat never looked in any real trouble during the first half, even after the highlight for Sarries fans when Andy Christie took us close with a blistering run to score, with a Heat try in the closing stages of the half taking the Heat to a deserved score at the interval of 7-15.

The phrase “men against boys” was never more apposite as the Israelis looked much the physically stronger of the two sides.

 As with the first half, the Heat began the second act strongly and raced into a 15-point lead.

 Kapeli Pifeleti drove over in a classic Sarries hooker’s try midway through the half to give the crowd something to shout about, but back came the Heat with two scores before Sam Bryan and then new boy Declan Murphy, took Sarries to within three points at 26-29 as we finally found some momentum before the Heat managed to play out the game with deservedly wild celebrations afterwards.  I’m not sure how the Heat would fare against a fully-loaded Sarries 23 but in my view they wouldn’t have been  completely embarrassed against the likes of Owen, Jamie, Mako and Billy.

I’d be quite keen to see more rugby from the relative fringes of the European game ( is there any TV coverage I wonder..), and I will certainly be following the Heat’s fortunes, as well as those of the Black Lion, in future – and hope they come back to StoneX one day.  

There’s been a lot of talk about the youth and inexperience of the squad that has represented Sarries in the Premiership Cup this season – and taking some hammerings in the process – and I do subscribe to the argument that they’ll learn and grow from taking a few hidings and also encountering the different challenges presented by games like this, but we’ll see…

Following a fine luncheon (bagel for me, chicken tikka wrap for Mrs Jonny)– and I know I’m biased but Sarries really do offer the best food in the Premiership – we settled down to watch the second leg of the day’s entertainment and enjoyed seeing Sarries Women notch up a 33-10 in against the thankfully surviving branch of the Wasps sporting tree – Sarries worked hard for the win, though, and the encouraging number of fans who’d remained at StoneX really got behind them.

I was disappointed, however, by some of the patronising comments coming from the group of men sitting behind me – “it’s not a bad standard is it?”, “they work quite hard don’t they?”…dear oh dear.

I’ve been very fortunate in having had a longer acquaintance with the women’s game than some, thanks to our two rugby-playing nieces, one of whom I’m both proud and ashamed to say was captain of Quins’ women’s team, and have been delighted to watch attitudes change over the years... but there’s clearly a bit of a way to go……

Jonny