Ruthless, relatively toothless & inadequate
By Innings
December 21 2014
First the good news, with the team setting four new club premiership records today, for the largest margin of victory, highest points total, most tries in a single game and most conversions, the numbers being 71, 78, 11 and 10. Sarries set out to ensure that if the end of season table comes to depend on points difference they will not be found wanting. A well-worked forwards’ try for Mako after three minutes, converted by Farrell, and a penalty minutes later for the same kicker, who missed one from 12 attempts today, saw Sarries well ahead of the clock at 10-0 after about six minutes. In the rest of the first period, we celebrated tries by Sharman, Kruis, Mako again, and finally Ashy. The score standing at 38-0 on 38 minutes was sadly a reflection of the realities of the gulf between the two sides. A sloppy moment as the tea and oranges beckoned allowed London Welsh the consolation of avoiding a whitewash, but in truth 38-7 did not flatter Sarries at the break.
During the break, the stands buzzed with news from the East Midlands local derby, where it appeared that a well-known player had carelessly allowed a Tigers player to butt his face onto a Saintly elbow. Jim Mallinder assures us that it was all a miscarriage of justice, a clear case of a Saints player being judged on his past reputation, but the wheels will grind out a decision that may not help Dylan Hartley’s 6 Nations’ hopes.
After the interval we had a full six minutes of lack of scoring, almost the longest period of the game in which neither side stood under their posts. However, Jackson Wray scored to resume the pace during that awkward moment when the front row was changing shifts, Wiggy and NdK were changing over and Nick Tomkins was replacing Marcelo Bosch.
The change players simply resumed where their departing co-workers had left off. With his first touch Richard Barrington produced a dive over the top of a pile of bodies, worthy of Tom Daley or the Dying Swan, to score at the posts, Wiggy shot through for a try within a minute or two of coming on, but to the horror of at least one supporter near me who had promised the points, Farrell missed the conversion, his only miss of the day. In the blur of action I think that Nick Tomkins, also just on, produced an outstanding diagonal break that sliced open the by-now demoralised Welsh defence, and in doing so produced the half-opening that is all that Ben Ransom needs, giving a ninth try of the day.
Wiggy then took over the controls and rather casually ignoring gaping spaces and overlaps outside nipped in for two more tries, to deliver a personal hat-trick – surely a rarity for a player coming on after 60 minutes.
So that was all very satisfactory. There was never going to be a re-run of the dreadful time when Rotherham, in just such a scrape as Welsh face today, came to Vicarage Road and turned over a Sarries side suffering from a massive overdose of complacency.
Man of the Match could only be Owen Farrell. Wiggy put up a hand with three tries. The Vunipolae were simply magnificent, carrying, off-loading when not simply bursting through, and Ransom had a high-quality game at 15, not only in scoring and his cutting runs in attack but also in defence where he single-handedly stopped a certain try and contributed to several other important defensive moments, using his speed to cover players who must have glimpsed an open space and the try line before seeing him. Kruis and Hamilton were much in evidence, especially in dealing with some heavyweight threats from Welsh’s outstanding 8, Opeti Fonua. Ashy plays better and better in defence, and his work in that department was as important as much of his attacking play. But Farrell’s control of the game, his mixtures of running, passing and kicking from hand constantly threatening the Welsh, and his defensive shift all contributed to a performance that marked a return to confidence and form that will have pleased his many admirers and confounded many who had written him off for this season’s 6 Nations and even the RWC.
So where was the sadly inadequate? The answer lies in two departments.
In the first place it makes a mockery of professional rugby when a side can win promotion into the national top-tier and then suffer statistics like these:
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On course to record the lowest points aggregate, averaging 8 per game when the lowest for a full season in this century is an average of 14 per game.
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On course to record the worst points against record, averaging 49 per game when the record for this century in a full season is 36.
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On course to record the worst average points difference, 41, when the worst for the century is 21.
There is clearly something awry, and I make no claim to have answers. However, whilst a handful of clubs, (or is that one club?) have won promotion and prospered, and Saints and Quins suffered relegation, were immediately promoted and didn’t look back, the rest of the story is of the haves and the have nots. The leagues in general provide for competitive matches, with incentives both to succeed and to avoid failure. The premiership model has the elite and the also-rans where the former can compete but rarely prosper at the next level, but the latter can only hope for slim pickings, throwing up mismatches like today’s. They may be fun for one set of supporters but do they do anything for the prosperity of the game?
My second concern lies in the standards of refereeing. Different referees offer different interpretations, and that is inevitable, given the complexity of the game. The present system usually accommodates these differences, with players and coaches having access to referees and their interpretations before the game. However, it becomes a glaring weakness of the sport when a new referee takes charge of a game, his interpretations are a touch individualistic and he does not explain them to the players or the supporters. It seems that Ian Tempest was having only his fourth premiership game, and this must explain why in places he was together individualistic, inconsistent and unable to communicate his thoughts. His playing of advantage varied from negligible to interminable, and twice he seemed to stop play almost instantly at times the advantage side might have reasonably expected to see their current move end in a score. The scrum becomes a posing competition, with front rows asked to pause for longer than was ever a norm even when ‘Pause’ was part of the sequence. Stability is one thing but immobility becomes a bore when we are paying to watch the referee try to achieve it.
All in all, a very happy day at Allianz Park, but I leave the happiest part to the end. We welcomed MoBo onto the field for a short final cameo appearance, and said farewell with genuine affection after the game. He has been a model player in the Sarries mould, professional in all, treating his successes with the dignity with which he accepted setbacks, and always seen to be happy in his work. It was fitting that it seemed as though every single player in the Sarries set-up joined him on his farewell lap of the pitch. That group included the ever-smiling Schalla, walking very easily and freely, looking like a man ready for the fray. Were we right to boo him when he put in a heavy tackle on a young player, his or moBo’s son, who must be at least three years old? But he did hold up an arm to acknowledge the offence, and may be let off with a caution.
The appeal for non-perishable food donations to the local charitable food-bank seemed to attract good support, and it did look at an early stage as though the total of 762 Kg donated last year might be bettered. Given the tendency of donors to such appeals to think no further than baked beans, I fear that Christmas in London NW may be a somewhat airy affair.
And finally, a word to the photographers in the East Stand, and you know who I mean: Don’t be so hurried to catch that sunset during the game, it’ll be better later.
Saracens: Ben Ransom; Chris Ashton, Marcelo Bosch, Duncan Taylor, Chris Wyles; Owen Farrell, Neil de Kock; Mako Vunipola, Brett Sharman, James Johnston, George Kruis, Jim Hamilton, Jackson Wray, Kelly Brown, Ernst Joubert (capt).
Replacements: Jamie George, Richard Barrington, Petrus du Plessis, Mouritz Botha, Billy Vunipola, Richard Wigglesworth, Charlie Hodgson, Nick Tompkins.
London Welsh: Robinson; Stegmann, Reynolds, Barkley, Kear; Weepu, Lewis; Reeves, Britton, Vea, Browne, Down, McCaffrey, Kirwan (capt), Fonua.
Replacements: Morris, Trevett, Cooper, Schofield, Pienaar, Rowley, May, Scott.
Referee: Ian Tempest
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014:12:30:17:05:56 by Darraghgirl.
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The two areas where Mr Tempest did get it wrong IMHO were communication (as mentioned in the report) but also allowing play to continue over a prone and supported Piri Weepu. Had he had a serious neck injury the "roll" he suffered from a couple of players falling over him might have done some unthinkably serious further damage. Whenever I hear a ref being unfairly accused, either on this board, or verbally I wonder how many of us could do a better job? Not me for sure! And how is he to gain experience if not by reffing games at a high level?
This chap was clearly inexperienced but all in all I thought he had a good game. As had been mentioned, many of the times he blew up during what appeared to be our advantage were later vindicated on the big screen (and replays I watched online later). With all due respect to our visitors, this was a low pressure game and perfect for blooding new refs at this level to get used to the speed at which games develop and move at this level over the Championship and National Leagues.
He reported this problem right at the start of the match, which was heard by anyone with the TV feed.
In that context, I think he did remarkably well, even when compared with some of the more experienced referees.
Regardez mon visage. Suis-je bovvered?
What's the alternative? Bring back Sean Davey?
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!