Irish Craic on
By Innings
February 9 2014
My journey to AzP took me 75 miles, through heavy rain, a hail-storm and high winds. 9,011 other spectators made their own journeys; a pity that they were offered a day when the only real pepper on offer from Sarries was in the Laverstoke pies, which really do get better with acquaintance.
There is a fashion on many boards to invite three word summaries of their team performances. Today at Allianz Park this would be an easy task. Unaware, Unprepared, Uncommitted.
Unaware - Allianz Park is our home ground, so there can be no excuse for failing to read the game in high wind, either with that wind in their faces or with it following.
Unprepared – If anyone imagined that Irish, who are becoming a bogey side for Sarries, were only there to make up the numbers, they were wilfully deceiving themselves.
Uncommitted – Every season, Sarries produce one sloppy, uncommitted performance. Today, they focussed all that negativity into the worst 40 minutes’ rugby that I have seen from them in several seasons.
So what actually happened? It all went so well for 30 seconds. Irish kicked off from the south end with a strong south-east wind at their backs. The slight cross direction of that wind took the ball direct into touch, and Sarries looked set for a strong start, a scrum on the centre line. Collapse, penalty, an ambitious kick at goal by the excellent James O’Connor, and Irish were in front before any player except the Irish scrum half had touched the ball. However, for the next 20 minutes Sarries exerted all the pressure, playing their typical game into the teeth of the wind. Irish hung on, and hung on, giving away a try taken well by centre Marcelo Bosch and two yellow cards. And that, sadly, was as good as it got for Sarries. Irish mixed up their game, O’Connor and Geraghty using the boot smartly, and the forwards carrying well, releasing their backs opportunely. After that, three Irish tries, against the run of play, whatever you like to say, and I’ll refer to that later, saw the Exiles taking full advantage of their game plan. My seat is opposite the East Stand, and directly in front or me, emblazoned on that stand is the word ‘Workrate’. Sadly, Sarries seemed to have forgotten that essential part of their ethic. Irish kicks found space, Sarries runners found little around them but harrying Irish players, and I dare even to suggest that one or two Sarries players began to fall off tackles that would have been routine nails for them any day of the week.
Well before the end of the first 40, it was clear that Sarries had used the wrong playbook. The pitch might still be perfect for playing an expansive game, but the wind dictated all, and in particular it was clear that the only correct play pattern was to keep the ball in hand, kick nothing, and wait out the storm until they had its favour. Admittedly, referee Mr Richards had missed a clear knock-on that gave Exiles captain George Skivington his team’s third try, but regardless of that, what was the Sarries back defence doing in allowing a second-row forward to out-pace them from the 22 to the touch-down? Indeed, where was that Sarries back defence?
So the first 40 ended, a poor advertisement for Sarries and a chastening score line of 8-22 leaving them with a mountain to climb, wind or no.
An optimist, and there were few around by this stage, might have expected Sarries to pick themselves up and play the advantage of the wind for the second 40. But now the Unprepared part of the write-up came into its own. Whatever else they had prepared for, they had not prepared for the Exiles to play the conditions exactly right. Conditions demanded old-fashioned up-the jumper rugby and that was exactly what Sarries faced and failed to master. Irish played phase after phase, minute after minute, with Sarries desperate to get a hand on the ball, but in their desperation they were beginning to fall into the trap of driving the referee’s perception of their play towards negativity. It was beginning to dawn on many supporters that they had seen all they wanted, and early leavers began to drift away, possibly earlier than I have seen since the grimmest dead-rubber games in the VR days.
Sarries began to unload the bench. Schalk Brits came on and actually began to galvanise Sarries by sheer force of example. James Johnson replaced Richard Barrington, who had not enjoyed his torrid afternoon. George Kruis replaced MoBo, a baffling decision, given that MoBo had been one of the few Sarries players who had actually played with any sense of purpose; perhaps he had simply played himself to a standstill.
Soon after Brits’ arrival he made one of the few - or was it the only? - clean break by a Sarries player. Bursting into space, making ground, he was inadequately followed up, but enough help did arrive for the ball to be re-cycled and fed to another player called Brits - there did seem to be two of him at that moment – enabling him to score a belated second try for Sarries. Hodgson missed the conversion, which taken successfully would have offered a losing bonus point.
The game ended as it had begun. Sarries were awarded a penalty, with time to kick for touch and take a line-out. A highly speculative kick for the corner from Charlie Hodgson, the ball taken back in-field by the wind, and ending up beyond the dead-ball line. The wind had decided the outcome of the opening kick, and had so again decided the outcome of the last. So Exiles ended up taking home four points, leaving Sarries to pick the consolation of – Nothing.
It would be invidious to single out any Sarries player as being more blameworthy than any other for this flaccid, pallid and generally sub-standard performance. But I do ask myself what Steven Borthwick was doing throughout this game. Leading by example? No – he should have been replaced before MoBo. Leading by direction? No – he failed to dictate the playing style as the playbook fell apart in his hands. Sadly, for he is and has been one of Sarries outstanding leaders, this game blew him away. A few Sarries did play well. I have mentioned MoBo, one of the very few Sarries starting players who can look back on his day’s work with satisfaction. Bosch was the sole bright spark in a very poor back division, from 9 to 15. Burger was busy and largely effective, in defence and with some good carries, but he was asked to hold up too many falling trees. And it’s a sorry thing to say, but Brits was the stand-out Sarries player, despite being on the pitch for hardly one quarter of the game.
And so, finally about the game; Mr Richards, the referee. I was unaware that the laws relating to the scrum, as reinforced by an IRB directive this season, made straight feeding into the scrum an optional facet of scrumhalf play. This aspect, along with interpretation of what are a ruck or maul, and the re-start options associated with them, seem to be parts of the rule-book that he has not read recently. Nigel Owens admits freely that he hasn’t read the laws of rugby for years, but then, he’s a good referee, respected by players and crowd alike. Until he reaches that level, Mr Richards should referee the game as mandated, not as he prefers.
Mark McCall recently said that whilst Sarries are not a top-three in Europe team, they are top eight. On this performance they are scarcely top eight in the Aviva Premiership. It would be easy to claim that Sarries had seven players away on 6N duty. But six international backs and four international forwards, with another five on the bench, should have been enough to cope with an Exiles side who were less talented: but they wanted the win more than Sarries cared about it.
Sarries are off the top of the AP table tonight. They have to go to Bath, Northampton and Leicester before the regular season is done. The cushion of 10-11 points looks thinner than it did this morning.
Saracens: Ransom; Ashton, Bosch, Wyles, Strettle; Hodgson, de Kock; Barrington, George, Stevens; Borthwick (capt), Botha; Wray, Burger, Joubert.
Replacements: Kruis for Botha (44), Wigglesworth for de Kock (51), Tomkins for Ransom (51), Brits for George (54), Johnston for Stevens (54), Wilson for Ashton (62), Hankin for Joubert (66), Saunders for Barrington (68).
London Irish: O'Connor; Lewington, Mulchrone, Sheridan, Fenby; Geraghty, O'Leary; Parr, Paice, Hagan; Skivington (capt), Rouse; Low, Cowan, Treviranus.
Replacements: Yapp for Parr (40), Stevens for Paice (62), Sinclair for Treviranus (62), Kennedy for O'Leary (62), Fowlie for O'Connor (68), Halavatau for Hagan (76), Ellis for Rouse (76), Humphreys for Geraghty (76).
Referee: Dean Richards (RFU).
Not sure if it's my memory but we used to get Dean Richards a few times in years gone by however I don't remember seeing him about for the past couple of years. Not sure where he's been but I thought he was definitely a bit "rusty" yesterday
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2014:02:18:13:28:16 by TonyTaff.
now I'm glad it did - especially as I would have shared the train back to Reading with the Irish supporters
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
You can imagine the ribbing I got all night. They were still at it on the way home on the train ten o'clock last night...Ho humPoor Charlie lost the plot completely, I do hope he doesn't get a phobia about kicking at azp.