Last Hurrah for Men in Black.

By T.O.K.S.
May 5 2006

Saturday is the last game of the "regular" season and sees a Saracens side, now unfortunately unable to sample Heineken Cup rugby next season, travel to a London Irish side who are in the form of their lives at the moment.

Actually "form of their lives" does not even start to sum up Irish at the moment.  They are playing exciting and free-flowing rugby with a freedom of expression that is a joy to behold.  Anyone fortunate enough to see their nine-try performance at Pests at the weekend will not have failed to be impressed by their play (OK, well perhaps not Pests' fans!).  Cynics amongst you will say that they merely fed off Pests' mistakes - and, let's face it, these were plentiful in number - but that is to miss the point.  It's one thing for a side to make mistakes, it's a whole different one for the opposition to finish them off in the clinical and exciting manner that Irish did.  Other tactics were spot-on as well - imaginative chips in behind the Pests' renowned "rush" defence were employed as well as a ruthless exploitation of the lack of pace in the Pests' back-row.  Numberless rugby, forwards and backs in harmony, how us rugby-lovers purred.

Still, enough waxing lyrical about our opponents!  How should Sarries approach Saturday's game?  Unfortunately, following Bristol's late capitulation against Saints at the weekend, Heineken Cup rugby is no longer even a mathematical possibility, although as high a placed-finish as possible is still required to ensure a good seeding in the European Challenge Cup next season (the winning of which is one possible route into the premier European Competition the season after).  We are coming off the back of two contrasting 13-12 performances.  The first, a 13-12 defeat of Wasps, was a game that we should have won by a two or three try margin.  The second, a 12-13 reverse at the hands of Tigers, was a game that Tigers could, and maybe should, have won by many more.

Our tactics versus Irish will be revealing.  Irish exploit turnovers ruthlessly (their back three is playing as well in attack as anyone in the Premiership) and they offload well in the tackle.  Controlling these two factors will be a key to the result of the game, as will establishing a measure of control up front (an area where Irish are not exactly weak either).  Wasps kicked poorly on Sunday and this is also an area where we could apply pressure - just how good are those back three when they are turned?

Finally, as this will be our last game of the season, a brief end of term report.  As usual, life supporting the Men in Black has not been boring - "curate's egg" and "Eastenders on a limited budget" are two of the more polite terms to have been used.  The season started with winning rugby using a limited, forward-based game plan.  The inevitable happened, three or four crucial forwards got injured, and, in the absence of a revised game-plan (or even one that all 15 players were privy to) things started heading south.  In football parlance, the "dressing room was lost" by Diamond and he ultimately carried the can, departing in February.  Mike Ford took over assisted by Eddie Jones in a consultative role.  Whilst the performance of both individuals contributed to the team's subsequent, and quite dramatic, upturn in fortunes, it was Jones especially who's motivational skills got all of the players believing in their own ability and subsequently expressing themselves on the field.  Fears of relegation were dispelled (it's only six or seven weeks ago that we were looking at just who was in Division 1), and thoughts of Heineken Cup rugby were even countenanced.  Ultimately, with Saints own revival starting some time before ours, that was just a step too far, but one hopes that with a number of players signing extensions to contracts and some shrewd recruitment by the experienced, and hitherto successful, Mr. Gaffney, next season will see more consistency and achievement.  But then, as supporters, we always say that, don't we!

Enjoy Saturday, chaps, and have a great summer.