Preview: NEC Harlequins v Saracens (a)

By Worried of Whitton
April 12 2007

Round 21 of The Guinness Premiership sees NEC Harlequins away to Saracens at Vicarage Road, kick off is at 15.00 on SUNDAY April 15th. Our last away game of the 2006-2007 season sees NEC Harlequins head off round the M25 to Watford as both teams play their second “London Derby” in seven days,...

following Harlequins’ comprehensive demolition of London Irish by 34 – 17 and Saracens narrow defeat 27 – 26 by Wasps.

Saracens have had their best season for many years and currently lie in fourth place in the Premiership, with 58 points. They will be very determined to maintain their claim for a top four finish and a play off position as well as being the highest placed London club this season. Wasps two points below in fifth are also determined to finish in the top four and they entertain Northampton at home on Sunday, a match on their current form they are likely to win. Quins travel to Vicarage Road after a fine win last Saturday against London Irish, reigniting their desire for a top six finish. They put in a fine performance last weekend, however I’m still questioning why they appeared to shut up shop after scoring their fourth bonus scoring try and spend the remaining 30 minutes of the match practicing their defensive skills deep inside their own 22. Maybe this was in readiness for this weekends match. Back at The Stoop on a foggy night, just before Christmas when the two teams last met, Quins were blown away by a display of shock and awe from their opponents and found themselves 0-12 down after just six minutes, but the team did claw their way back to 16-20 at  the final whistle. Interestingly Saracens blew away London Irish recently using the same tactics, but unlike Quins, Irish were unable to fight their way back. 

A brief trawl through the CAW archives shows that Vicarage Road is not the happiest of hunting grounds for Quins who have not won away to Saracens in their last three meetings. Last time out on Boxing Day 2004 saw a lack lustre 8-8 draw, the result which I felt condemned us to our season in ND 1 last year. The previous two meetings saw high scoring matches with Saracens being victors 39-33 in 2003-04 and 36-30 in 2002-03. I expect that in the fine spring conditions forecast this weekend, we will see yet another high scoring match. Coincidentally the four London Teams are once more grouped together and occupy the consecutive positions from fourth to seventh.

 

* Leicester have one point deducted for fielding an ineligible player

So how have Saracens managed to resurrect themselves this season into the dizzy heights at the top of the Premiership after finishing, fairly consistently, in tenth place in three of the previous five seasons. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by their achievements. Part of the answer may lie in the  fact that their former scrum half, now part of the coaching team, Kyran Bracken has already skated himself to unlikely success on a reality tv show earlier this year, and has passed on these traits to his squad. Maybe this was not too much of a surprise win given the fact Saracens have had plenty of practice of skating on thin ice in recent seasons. The answer however, lies in shrewdness of their coach Alan Gaffney, who was brought in towards the end of last season as Saracens flirted with relegation after a string of eight consecutive defeats. This season, Saracens have only lost twice in their last eight matches, despite winning only one of their first six matches. The secret of success according to Gaffney in a recent Daily Telegraph interview is down to their pre season improving their fitness levels. He added that “we didn’t really touch a ball in earnest until the last four week phase. We have worked hard t o play a more expansive game, appealing to the players themselves. They have grown to have faith in what we are doing, and faith in the blokes around them” This is borne out by the fact that Saracens have the scored the second highest number of point this season, behind Leicester with 499 points scored and they currently have the largest points difference at +125. 

Saracens have become a clever, hard working, tight knit squad who are well orchestrated by half back de Kock and by Jackson. Their pack is tough and binds Yates, Visagie and Johnston with lock Raiwalui, and of course, everyone’s favourite opposition player, flanker Richard Hill. Into this mix add the speed of Castaignede and the much maligned Farrell, give Saracens their potency this season. Gaffney agreed that Saracens were in a position to control their own destiny this season. “The goal was top six, the dream was top four”, and it is just down to Harlequins this week and Worcester next week to upset and over turn that dream, into a nightmare.

The other fixtures this weekend are;

 

The Leicester – Bristol match is to be rearranged as Leicester meet The Ospreys in the EDF final at Twickenham on Sunday April 15th

As a postscript our opponents last week are at home to Worcester this weekend, however based upon their performance at The Stoop and Worcester’s desire to “get out of jail”, a win for Quins this weekend could see them in sixth position late on Sunday afternoon. Despite the current impasse over the prospect of European Rugby next season, we need to try to finish in a top six position, to be placed should the dispute be resolved, and sixth place is the highest position that is still achievable this season, assuming other results go our way. Irrespective of the result this weekend we will at the very least retain our seventh spot into the last day of the season. My heart goes for a Quins win, but my head suggests a bonus point loss perhaps even a double bonus point loss from a high scoring match. I’ll stick my neck out and also predict wins for Sale, Gloucester, Worcester and Wasps this weekend.

 

 

Come on you Quins!