Sarries v Tigers Preview
Cover Drive's gig venue
By Saracens4life
September 13 2012
It's been a headline-grabbing few days for sport – the shocking scandal of Justice for the 96; the potential crisis over broadcasting rights for European rugby; - all on the back of the euphoria and emotion of London 2012. Although it has somewhat slipped under the radar, Sarries will be hoping that this weekend’s top-of-the-table clash against Leicester Tigers at Wembley will tap into some of the capital’s sporting fervour.
On paper it has the makings of a great day out – not least because of the rugby. Barbados’ crowd-pleasers Cover Drive and a new £1million prize competition should be able to draw in some neutrals – although ticket sales are said to have been disappointing so far. And what of the rugby? Two sides who are between them renowned for: always kicking, playing 10-man rugby in the mud, being full of South Africans, and always cheating. But you don’t have to probe very far below the veneer of stereotype to realise that actually, this match could turn out to be rather entertaining – both for the casual fan and for the purist whose greatest excitement comes from a collapsed scrum or a rant at a referee.
The Leicester backline, under the stewardship of the ever-tranquil Sarries favourite, Matt O’Connor, has developed into a potent unit. Using the oft-ignored tactic of fielding players who draw a man and pass accurately (Flood, Allen, and especially Murphy), the Tigers have been able to exploit the talents of Manu Tuilagi at 13 and various dangerous wingers. The latest in this line is the rather pacey Niki Goneva – a player linked with Sarries not so long ago – who has certainly made an impact with 2 tries in 2 games and some breathtaking runs to boot. It is no coincidence that in the past two seasons Leicester have romped home in the try-scoring charts – and 10 tries in 2 matches so far would suggest that the loss of Samoan powerhouse, Alex ‘I-can’t-tackle-with-my-arms’ Tuilagi, will not be as serious as first feared.
Sarries, on the other hand, are still in a fairly adolescent stage as an attacking backline. The trail blazed in Europe by Leinster and Harlequins has seen a change of emphasis in the Men in Black’s game plan. The most notable cog in the new wheel is ex-Saints man Chris Ashton (he had an argument with Jim Mallinder don’t you know?!). Ashton’s unpredictable and mercurial running lines are a nightmare for defences – but also, initially, for his own team mates as they work to familiarize themselves with such a unique (in the Northern Hemisphere) style. The threats posed by the likes of Schalk Brits, Charlie Hodgson and Alex Goode are well-documented – but also coming into the fore are the underrated passing game of Brad Barritt and the impressive carrying of League-convert Joel Tomkins. At the moment, though, Kevin Sorrell’s task of integrating these individual weapons into a well-oiled unit is still a work in progress – and understandably so, after just two matches.
But, although the Tigers may seem to have a slight edge in experience out wide, the primary contest will, as ever, be to produce enough quality ball and to deliver it into those wide channels. The latter part – delivery – is where the half backs come in. The battle of the #10s will be an all-England affair: Toby Flood, though well-known in these parts for being slightly understocked in crucial male areas when the going gets tough, has enjoyed a confident start to the season. His range of distribution and conviction to attack the gain line with pace and footwork (take note, Mr Farrell!) will threaten any defence. Sarries possess a similar – and more consistent – talent in Charlie Hodgson, although they may choose to use the rotation policy and bring in young Owen Farrell, much maligned off a certain junction of the M1. Faz’s problem as an attacking 10, in my opinion, is not a deficiency in his skill set – he has an impressive range of passes and kicks; it is an understandably naïve decision-making process and an inability to cause the defence any concern with his own pace – as Flood and Hodgson. And for what it’s worth, I think that by the end of next season (maybe even this), he will be a remarkably complete player. Anyway, back to Saturday, and one potential area where Tigers may struggle: scrum half. Without the services of Ben Youngs and his erratic passing game and consistent (but bad) kicking game, and ex-Falcon Micky Young, Richard Cockerill is down to the bare bones with academy prospect Sam Harrison and short-term signing Patrick Phibbs. Whichever order Neil De Kock and Richard Wigglesworth play in, they should have the upper-hand on their counterparts.
And so to the forward battle. I think we will see a fair number of tries on Saturday with both sides able to shred even the most structured defences, and I also think that with Leicester’s issues at #9 the backlines even themselves out by and large. Making the contest up front even more pivotal than it might normally be. The Leicester pack is a fairly well-known, though still fearsome, unit. The biggest selection issues come in the front row, where despite missing the brilliant Ayerza to international duty, Cockerill has an envious depth of quality to choose from. The most likely combination to my mind will be the wrecking-ball Mulipola at loosehead; the old head of Chuter at hooker; and the still-underrated Cole at tighthead. Reinforcing that trio will be the solid presence of Stankovich, new England dynamo Tom Youngs, and the theatrical Castrogiovanni. With Kitchener and the quite outstanding Parling almost sure to start behind them, it is a front-five that will look to dominate both set-pieces and play its part at the breakdown. Finally, the back-row trio of Mafi, Salvi and Waldrom is starting to look assured – the Tongan with similar qualities to Tom Croft in the lineout and out wide but actually offering something at rucks; the Australian an absolute warrior on the floor and a clever link player at openside; the New Zealander looking slimmer this year and still running intelligent lines out from the breakdown.
After the same 8 for two weeks on the trot, Alex Sanderson and Paul Gustard may look to bring some forwards into the starting line-up on rotation. With Rhys Gill’s fitness still undisclosed, Mako Vunipola looks sure to continue his extremely impressive start to the season – his work rate as a carrier and at the breakdown will be crucial, but his explosiveness at the scrum will struggle to get any change out of Dan Cole. On the other side of Brits (who has hopefully been practicing his throwing this week) will be either Petrus du Plessis or Carlos Nieto – both very solid players, with the former offering more in the loose and the latter possessing more experience in the tight. Partnering captain Steve Borthwick – whose ever-phenomenal work rate has this season been flavoured with an extra yard of pace and some thoughtful running lines – will probably be new signing Alistair Hargreaves, who was combative off the bench in Salford last week. This will give Mouritz Botha the chance to use his physicality as an impact player, or alternatively the hitherto-unseen George Kruis may grab a place.
I would actually expect both set-pieces to be pretty equal – the power of the respective looseheads will be mostly nullified by the usual illegal binding on the arm, and with both sides blessed with multiple options in the lineout, there should be a mixture of clean ball, scrappy ball and steals. And finally to the breakdown, where the streetwise pair of Kelly Brown and Ernst Joubert should be able to dictate the tempo of the game, with neither Kitchener nor Mafi the most experienced of operators when it comes to clearing out rucks. Sarries will certainly not be averse to quick ball from which to attack, but should the need arise, the pinpoint kicking games of the half backs make them an extremely comfortable slow-ball side. One final debate for Sarries will be over the #7 shirt, contested probably between the fast-learning Will Fraser and the returning Andy Saull – with Jacko Wray my preference to come off the bench with his power, acceleration and clever angles.
Overall, a contest that should be both exhilarating for the neutral and intriguing for the purist. I reckon that, barring any big mishaps at either set-piece, Sarries should be able to stunt the momentum of the Leicester attacking juggernaut (though not stop it completely!); and with enough good-tempo ball, increasing familiarity in the backline and a nice wide pitch I think our own attack could be fruitful.
Prediction? Saracens 28 – 23LeicesterTigers
(and no-one to win the million pounds; sorry, but it’s harder than it looks!)
Enjoy the game!
Stop Press - Inexperienced officials!
Referee: Greg Garner
Assistant referees: Nigel Carrick, Paul Dix
Television match official: Graham Hughes
Timekeeper: David Hudson
Assessor: Brian Campsall
Now with formatting coq-ups fixed and the announcements of the officials added.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2012:09:20:11:40:21 by TonyTaff.
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
Quote:Saracens
...this weekend’s top-of-the-table clash...
Dont you have to be "top-of-the-table" to be able to contest a "top-of-the-table clash"?
Hope its a good game:
Regardez mon visage. Suis-je bovvered?
I suspect we'll know just how good a player Mako is after this one.
I hope it is a good game.
Thank you for a great preview. Not going to challenge your prediction!
Go Sarries!
Quote:TonyTaff
Right, if you lot won't add any comments, I'll put it on the Tiggs board!
Some of them seem to be upset because S4L didn't mention Richard III, but rather what has been happening in Saracens' home city.
What a way to spend an eternity - under a council car park in Leicester.
Regardez mon visage. Suis-je bovvered?
Regardez mon visage. Suis-je bovvered?
Although I guess if you think 'underrated' is a derogatory term maybe that's not such a bad thing.
Regardez mon visage. Suis-je bovvered?
He is far from alone in that regard - in fact the whole site is riddled (imo) with puke-makingly high and mighty smugness. There are exceptions, but in general my blood pressure is in a far safer place when I abstain entirely.
Luckily I don't see that my dislike for that minority should translate into anything wider towards an undoubtedly great club - hence the attempt at a balanced and often complimentary preview.
Oh well.
At least one little girl, the daughter of my PA, is sleepless with excitement for tomorrow.
Regardez mon visage. Suis-je bovvered?
Relax! As someone once sang
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!