And now my friends, the end is near….

By Rupert Thacker
May 7 2004

…..it’s time to face the final curtain. Whether you choose to draw a curtain or a discreet veil over the season is open to question but regardless of the fabric you choose, Sarries’ season comes to an end at the Madejski Stadium this Saturday.

A stunning second half performance against Sale last week gave us, we hope, a glimpse of the future. The future didn’t seem to include this week’s game though, if the “end of season” feel and the lack of mentions about the trip to Reading was anything to go by. But, as almost all the press reports have said this week, pride seems to run deep in Watford and it is hard to predict exactly what we will get from Saracens.

Still without the injured Ben Johnston and Robbie Russell (amongst others), Sarries have delayed the public announcement of team selection until the last possible moment. News this week from the club has given little guide to whether or not Thomas Castaignede will be fit enough to play – if we assume he is fit, then I cannot see too many changes from last week’s game. The back row performed superbly, I’d suggest that they would be retained. Codling for Yandell may be the one alteration in the forwards that the coaches may choose to make. If Thomas is not fit, we may well see the backline as it finished last weekend, with Bailey at 13 and O’Mahony at 11.

Over in Berkshire, following their last minute win at the Falcons last Sunday, Irish will come into this game on a high – if they garner the full 5 points then their chances of entering the lottery of the Zurich Play-Offs are massively enhanceed. A fast start to the season has fallen away just a little and there should be no lack of motivation at the Madejski to ensure that the start they had isn’t wasted – the Holy Grail of Heineken Cup qualification awaits them.

The Irish team looks strong, featuring finishers such as Sackey and Bishop, the capped Horak at 15, plus the dynamic back row of Gustard, Dawson and in what could be his last professional game, O’Sheasby. Throw in a decent looking front row, the enigmatic Mark Mapletoft at 10 and you have a pretty decent side and one which is perfectly capable of doing damage to any side in the ZP.

That last comment also applies to Sarries – perfectly capable of doing damage to any side in the ZP, if everything clicks. Both sides can score points extensively if everything goes well, but both seem to have the capability to ship points at an alarming rate. No-one would discount either side from demonstrating this point perfectly this weekend.

Looking at the stats, Irish have won the last 5 meetings. The most recent was at Vicarage Road in November, when the Exiles emerged as winners by only 3 points. Like much of Saracens’ season it was a case of “what if” and, truth be told, this was another missed opportunity to record a win for the Men in Black.

This weekend, against the extra motivation of the HC place on offer, it is hard to see Sarries stopping the Irish recording their sixth straight win against us – I’m afraid I can’t see beyond a London Irish win by 10-15 points.