Men in Black Make Cherries Blue

And so, after the heart-stopping opener at The Stoop, Sarries welcome us back home, with another tough assignment, the middle one of three in succession that they face at the start of this new campaign.     The recovery from a 17 points’ deficit last week was dramatic, for sure, but it is reasonable to hope that Sarries at home, playing a more varied, and adventurous rugby, if last week is anything to go by, will not be generous at home.  However, we can be sure that the visitors will live up to their billing as an efficient outfit, with excellent set-piece drills and backs who bring skill and considerable pace in the backs.  Not the least of their threats, Gloucester’s ever-improving Adam Hastings will punish indiscretion with his kicking from hand or the tee.   Traffic in West London was dreadful this afternoon.  The closure of the M4 access at Reading caused serious hold-ups for miles around, the entire world was on the move around the M25 and impatience on the M40 caused some hurrying traveller to crash into another at the A40 – North Circular junction.  My plan to arrive early, to watch the warm-up, enjoy a chicken and mushroom pie, much recommended by the way, was finally scuppered by the ominous look that suggests that the pedestrian bridge over the Great North Way has gone for good.  Plan B was to arrive breathless at my new seat in the East Stand, moved by some mysterious algorithm forward one row and along five seats.  I am now exactly on the half-way line, close enough to chat with the people whose company I have enjoyed in the past, the sun goes down behind the West Stand about one minute earlier than in my old seat.

Sarries are to play in their new black-ish home strip, and the Cherry and Whites have inherited some old kit from Coventry City, the Sky Blues, to be their new Premiership away strip.  A moment before the teams appear, smoke flares are set off, and demonstrate that a very stiff breeze is coming straight down the pitch, north to south.  Whoever plays with that wind behind them will need it to build a lead of at least 12-15 points at half-time. 

Sarries begin from the north, and I feel confident that they will use the weather gage to advantage.  An early try by Max Malins seems a good omen, but is soon evened out by a smart move – Gloucester’s driving maul is already proving to be an asset to which Sarries have little answer – which puts Raparva-Ruskin over, for Hastings to take the extras.  A soft penalty, easily converted, give Sarries the lead, and then we are treated to a glorious movement starting on the east side, sucking in the entire Gloucester pack and several backs, before the new fast tactic of off-loading out of the tackle reduces the Gloucester backs to despairing defence, with a Sarries overlap of about five on two.  Very smart thinking decides that the oncoming Ben Earl, cutting inwards across the line of play, is the best option, and he runs in unopposed to give Owen Farrell the easiest of conversions.  17-10 and looking good.   

Sarries are confident, too confident and become both relaxed and careless.  Decision-making seems to be optional and choices are often not the obvious ones.  Gloucester sense the change of Sarries’ purpose and in about twenty minutes, either side of half-time, their set-piece becomes the clear dominant factor in all aspects.  Their scrum is getting the upper hand, always dangerous when referees are being pressed to speed up this part of the game, the line-out is efficient.  Every Gloucester line-out is now merely the set-up for another driving maul, which always produces territorial gains and too often scoring opportunities.  A penalty taken by Hastings, a rolling maul that splinters the Sarries defence to put Tuisue through the ensuing gap, with a Hastings conversion, 17-20.

 Half-time is clearly not bringing that 12-15 points’ advantage that I thought necessary. Perhaps the Sarries will tighten up, revert to the game that has served them so well in the past, and let the Fancy Dan style rest while they address the real opposition in front of them.  Whatever they have decided to do next, Sarries probably had no plan that involved standing behind the posts at regular intervals, as Harris goes over, then Hastings, then Raparva-Ruskin, Hastings converting two of the three, rattling the score up to 20-36. 

 Before the mid-point of this half, MMC has decided that a fairly large-scale re-set is needed, Mako, Jamie, Christian Judge, Theo McFarland have all been replaced.  Josh Hallett, another of the players born this century, had replaced Duncan Taylor just before the interval.  It is noticeable that a few people, but none of the Gloucester supporters, are drifting out of the ground.  After all, Sarries are well behind, have a solitary try to show for their day’s work and are thoroughly under the cosh as Gloucester dominate every aspect of play.

 Josh Hallett will score a try to get the scoreboard looking partially respectable.  Hastings, with another penalty, moves the gap out again, 27-39. 

 Scarcely five minutes left to play, Sarries are still well out of it, and even the local optimists remind me that Gloucester had a good record her in recent times.  Two switches seem to flick over.  Gloucester, with several players exhausted, feel they have done enough.  Sarries, driven, one suspects, by the sheer embodiment of bloody-mindedness that is Owen Farrell, decide to go out at least respectably.  A pin-point kick to the corner, driven maul, try, converted.  34-39, so a losing bonus point on the table for now.  On 80 minutes, Gloucester infringe, another perfect kick to the corner, driven maul, the gong sounds, maul goes over, 39-39.  Cover the eyes, with fingers crossed, Owen is made for this, 41-39.

 Some complain that the maul is a pointless waste of time, that it is not part of ‘real’ rugby.  Some others might say that game that gives one side a commanding lead through their mauling, and then is the winning weapon for the other, offers a degree of drama of its own.

 The longest applause of the day was when the cameras brought us a picture of Ed Slater, sitting in the sun, beer in hand, a welcome guest for whom collection buckets were going round to raise money for his, and the wider community’s support as MND strikes.  The quietest moment of the day, absolute silence apart from the usual single idiot who cannot bear not to be noticed, was when Owen was lining up the final, and winning kick of the game.  The loudest noise if the game began on the instant when it was clear that the kick was going to be successful.  

 Some evidence suggest that rugby is destined to remain a fringe activity, with limited options for success as professional entertainment.  Sadly, the plight of Worcester Warriors and Wasps suggest that rugby itself has embraced professionalism but has also embraced the attention of people whose best interests lie in what can be got out of the game rather than what can be put in. Warriors may have won their final battle at Sixways, always a favourite ground for me to visit, but sadly, and especially for the Duckworth family, they seem to have lost the war for survival.  Investing in a sport, a sports club or sports body does not guarantee that the investment has the sport’s interest at its heart. Every sport should learn from the experience of cricket and its flirtation with Allen Stanford, but none does.  

 Next week, part three of this tough opening group of matches.  Tigers sharpened their claws on a few Saintly figures yesterday, and nobody can doubt the scale of the challenge that they will bring down the M1, well-accompanied by knowledgeable and passionate supporters.  Like yesterday, this will not be a match for the faint-hearted. It could well be one for the rugby supporter who understands their rugby, appreciates the many ways in which in which it can be played, and wants speed of thought, speed of action and a game played in sporting spirit.

 Talking of speed of thought and speed of action, it is pleasing to see that TMOs have been put back to the edge of the action.  Once again, referees have primacy of decision, and are expected to referee for themselves, not to look upstairs at every opportunity.  Three p.m. kick-offs actually end the game within two hours, even with a few breaks for injury treatment and a couple of water-breaks, necessary in such conditions as yesterday’s.  Not everybody will agree with all Craig Maxwell-Key’s thought processes, but at least he kept the game moving, was as consistent in his decisions as we could have asked, even if we disagreed with some of them.  As usual, later watching of the recorded match suggests that he was right often than we armchair critics were.

 So there we are, a combined total of 33 minutes being the difference between P2, L2, league points nil, and P2, W2, league points 10.  If being a supporter is a roller-coaster, spare a thought for the coaches and players.

Innings

Saracens: Daly; Malins, Lozowski, Taylor, Lewington; Farrell, Van Zyl; Mako Vunipola, George, Judge, McFarland, Tizard, Christie, Earl, Billy Vunipola.

Replacements: Woolstencroft, Mawi, Clarey, Hunter-Hill, Wray, De Haas, Manu Vunipola, Hallett.

Gloucester: Evans; Rees-Zammit, Harris, Atkinson, Thorley; Hastings, Meehan; Elrington, Singleton, Balmain, Clarke, Craig, Ackermann (capt), Taylor, Tuisue.

Replacements: Socino, Rapava-Ruskin, Ford-Robinson, Jordan, Reid, Chapman, Twelvetrees, Moyle.

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys.