By A Wayward-Mann
September 4 2004

Twickenham is the unlikely setting for the start of the new season as the "London" teams play a double header. England's double-winning champion team, London Wasps, opens its account against a annually rebuilt Saracens. On paper, this befezzed side has the look of a hardy perennial at long last. It is too early to tell whether Nigel Wray has exchanged his revolving door for a port and cullis yet. Even so, Saracens have a good opportunity to lay their bogey team, London Wasps to rest for the first time in ten matches on Saturday. Wasps have lost five of our last six opening fixtures, including the past two seasons as defending Champions. Warren Gatland is well aware of this deficiency -- neither team will be counting on an easy start.

The week's news has been dominated by two resignations (neither of them coming from Sarries' supporters, I might add). When Premier Rugby dreamed up this double-header and started touting it as the biggest Zurich Premiership fixture ever it could not have foreseen that this hyperbole would be overshadowed by these events.

Lawrence Dallaglio got his exit in first, retiring from international rugby to concentrate on domestic issues. Sir Clive Woodward trumped him by confirming Gary Lineker's seemingly throwaway closing retort on last weekend's Match of the Day -- he was intending to quit the RFU in favour of a new dream -- a shiny, passionate, new football goal down at Southampton FC.

Both resignations span the line, in part, that the treadmill of the season is to blame, although both men have broached the problem from different angles (one characteristically to the point, and the other in a typically "wayward" manner). In essence, though, it all boiled down to the twin concerns: a lack of central contracts and the lack of a structured season.

Even our new CEO, David Davies, remarked this week on the lack of progress in the game since he was last involved with London Wasps in 2001. Since then, of course, things got better for our club, but worse as far as the structure of the season went. Now we have Zurich's playoffs clogging up the end of the season. The jury is still out on this one (actually, the majority of the supporters loath them) but London Wasps just keep winning it Zurich's way. Zurich are to review the situation before next season is upon us but the grand final payday looks set to continue, despite the existence of the players' quota.

The upshot for London Wasps is that our success upon success will deprive us of three England elite players: Josh Lewsey, Simon Shaw and Joe Worsley. It would have been four had LBND not retired this week. None of these players may play more than 40 minutes against Saracens due to the 11-week break rule of the RFU's elite performance plan.

Similarly, Sarries will lose the services of half a Richard Hill. At a stroke, Chris Spice's formula has struck down PRL's marketing spiel about the number of international players on show. Still, the aggregate crowd of 40+K Waspies, Sorries, Hardleywinners and Oirish will get a day to remember (but will it top twice 21K, the present record crowd?).

Damien Hopley of the players' union, the PRA, has even just mooted a 14-week break. That, I'm afraid, will take at least another five years to sort out -- the IRB controls the international diary over this protracted period, and they're the top dogs. One could not make all of this this up!

London Wasps will be without injured centres, Stuart Abbott and Fraser Waters. Trevor Leota is away on personal business and Rob Howley has handed over to Matt Dawson until he recovers from his operation. Craig Dowd, Phil Greening and Martin Purdy are still to return from long-term injuries and Simon Shaw rests a neck injury.

A preseason blip at Biarritz confirmed that the French team are a few weeks ahead of us in their conditioning. Our successful but non-dominant run out at Llanelli last Friday hinted that we will be ready for Saracens unknown quantities but we may struggle the second half.

For their part, Saracens beat Bedford where Harlequins failed, but their own friendly against Quins was cancelled. They look far stronger on paper this season, and may dominate up front later on. However, they might creak a bit at lock (although Wasps are short of cover here too) but should have parity in the back row.

Their hopes will be pinned on their experienced centres, Kevin Sorrell and Thomas Castaignède outmanoeuvring our untested pairing of Peter Richards and Ayoola Erinle. Twickenham's vast expanse beckons, will Sorries unlock our rush defence where Bath failed at HQ on the last weekend of last season?

And one final aside. Scrutiny of Saracens' Premiership record shows what little progress they have made since their heady 1998 days, when they almost topped the table and pulped us 48-18 in the Pilkington Cup final:

8 Mar 1998 - Biggest Win for Saracens v Wasps 33-27
Saracens top try scorer vs Wasps Ben Johnston 2 tries
Saracens top points scorer vs Wasps Michael Lynagh 32 points

Whereas our records eclipse theirs and much more recently:

21 Dec 2003 - Biggest Win for Wasps v Saracens 41-0
Wasps top try scorer vs Saracens Josh Lewsey 4 tries
Wasps top points scorer vs Saracens Kenny Logan 95 points

If anything underlines Sorries' lack of progress since 1998, it's the fact that one of Sky's pundits is still Sorries top points scorer against Wasps. At HQ will we see a new Sorries chapter? Wasps from Perth to Christchurch are watching with relish!

London Wasps:15 Mark Van Gisbergen; 14 Matt Priscott, 13 Ayoola Erinle, 12 Peter Richards, 11 Tom Voyce; 10 James Brooks, 9 Matt Dawson; 1 Tim Payne, 2 Ben Gotting, 3 Will Green, 4 George Skivington, 5 Richard Birkett, 6 James Haskell, 7 Jonny O’ Connor, 8 Lawrence Dallaglio (Capt.)

Bench: 16 Jonny Barrett, 17 Alistair McKenzie, 18 Joe Worsley, 19 John Hart, 20 Mark Lock, 21 Josh Lewsey, 22 Alex King

Saracens: 15 Robbie Kydd; 14 Richard Haughton, 13 Thomas Castaignede, 12 Kevin Sorrell, 11 Dan Scarbrough; 10 Mark Bartholomeusz, 9 Kyran Bracken; 1 Kevin Yates, 2 Matt Cairns, 3 Cobus Visagie, 4 Simon Raiwalui, 5 Iain Fullarton, 6 Taine Randell, 7 David Seymour, 8 Hugh Vyvyan (Capt.)

Bench: 16 Nick Lloyd, 17 Raphael Ibanez, 18 Kris Chesney, 19 Richard Hill, 20 Morgan Williams, 21 Nicky Little, 22 Paul Bailey

Related link: A Touch of Largesse!