A Match too Far

  It’s hard to be proud when your heart is breaking   It’s hard to move forward after such a narrow defeat   It’s hard to be positive when the prize remains tantalisingly out of reach.  

But we must.

We must be proud of the boys, very very proud. They gave everything. They left nothing on the pitch. They faced up to one of the best teams and Europe and were not found wanting. Like the Christians in the Coliseum, they entered a hostile bear-pit, baying for English blood, surrounded by 40,000 cheering Frenchmen. The venue was well-chosen by Clermont. St Etienne, like Clermont, is in the middle of nowhere and next to impossible to get to with only 2 weeks’ notice. It is, however, only 60 miles from Clermont Ferrand! It may not have been Stade Marcel Michelin but it was close enough!

Saracens are becoming accustomed to the heady atmosphere of European knock-out games. We have shown we can perform in hostile settings – Ulster last season for example. We can perform in France – Racing at Easter – but this was something else. 40,000 Frenchmen and women were, in the end, the difference between the teams. Had this game been played at Twickenham we would have won, it was that close.

We will move forward. Clermont is a team of Internationals, hardened pros, well used to dining at Europe’s top table. A team who could afford to rest the entire starting 15 last week (albeit at some cost) to prepare for this game. Saracens is essentially a young team with a sprinkling of experience. 5 of our pack were under 24. A mouth-watering prospect for the future. None of them froze in the floodlights of this most prestigious of stages. The Vunipola brothers showed what they are, class. Both of them drove themselves into the ground. Jamie George yet again showed he has the talent and the temperament to counter a French International Hooker. George Kruis and Maro Itoje compared well to their renowned opponents. In these five guys lies not just the future of Saracens but the future of England.

Brock James won man of the match but the real gem was Alex Goode. All the talk before the game was around Nick Abendanon, whose move to France has been the making of him, but today there was one class full-back on the pitch and he was in a man in black. If his performance today doesn’t raise questions in the mind of Stuart Lancaster then nothing will. No World Cup Match could be this intimidating, this challenging, yet Alex came through and almost pulled the team through with him.

We must not forget our senior citizens who all played their part. Jacques Burger was once again immense (is it just me or is he getting better as his hair grows longer?) Petrus Du Plessis remains a marvel. A physiotherapist brought in a few years ago as a stop-gap is now one of the best tight-heads in Europe. Charlie and Wiggy carried out the game-plan with precision and it so nearly came off. I don’t blame Charlie for the 2 missed kicks, they were tricky both of them, but it’s interesting to contemplate how games turn on the kicking tee. Bosch’s winner in Paris was probably harder than either of them, given the wind that day, yet the Gods were with Marcelo but turned their backs on Charlie.

In the end it came down to small measures. Clermont had one chance and took it. Saracens had a couple of chances and didn’t. A knock-on, a forward pass, a wrong decision and the opportunity was gone. In matches like this, such openings are few and far between. Clermont were just that bit more clinical and seized their moment.

We will be positive. We didn’t give up after Clermont scored their try. We hung in there, we won a penalty which took us to within a single point. It could so easily have gone our way. The team looked shattered, devastated when they left the pitch. It will take a huge effort from the back-room staff to lift them. They know how close they came but inches and microseconds win prizes. The team will have been running on adrenaline for a while now. Winning is a habit and perpetuates itself. Temporarily at least, the supply of energy has been cut off. But there are positives. We showed how close we are to the top. We showed that we can live with the likes of Clermont. Comparing this performance with Northampton’s a couple of weeks ago, we should be out of sight at Stadium MK next Saturday. But of course there’s the crux. The big games come thick and fast. Northampton had a week off to recharge their batteries and lick their wounds whereas for Saracens it’s another weekend, another big game.

Last season we crucially ran out of steam when it counted. Two demanding competitions and two huge finals eventually took its toll. This season we have an oasis, a precious weekend off right when we need it. Sure we would have loved to be at Twickenham on 2^nd May cheering the boys on but losing yesterday might give us our best chance of winning the Premiership. Despite a lot of injuries, we have managed the squad better this time and with a couple of notable exceptions (stand up Jamie George) most of the team have had the odd break. Farrell, Brits & Barritt are all returning from injury fresh and looking to resurrect their seasons. One big push next weekend then we can take a minibreak before pressing on to the end. A final game against London Welsh offers the possibility of a further break for some before hopefully a Premiership semi-final and, god-willing, a return to Twickenham to exact our revenge.

Good luck to Clermont in the final and a word to Northampton, and Exeter and London Welsh and anyone else we come up against as the season progresses, be afraid, be very afraid. We’re proud, we’re positive and we’re moving forward. Get out of our way!

SARACENS

Goode, Ashton, Bosch (Strettle), Barritt, Wyles, Hodgson (Farrell), Wigglesworth (De Kock), M Vunipola (Gill), George (Brits), Du Plessis (Johnston), Kruis, Hamilton (Wray), Itoje, Burger (Brown), B Vunipola

CLERMONT

Abendanon, Nakaitaici, Davies, Fofana, Nalaga (Rougerie), James , Radosavljevic (Parra), Debaty (Chaume), Kayser (Ulugia), Zirakashvili, Cudmore, Vahaamahina, Bonnaire, Bardy (Lapandry), Chouly

Scorers:

SARACENS (9): Drop Goal: Hodgson, Pens: Hodgson, Farrell

CLERMONT (13): Try: Fofana; Conv: James; Pens: James (2)

Venue: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard

Attendance 41,500

Referee: George Clancy