Aviva Premiership Big Match Review - Saracens 27 - 12 Harlequins

Rugby isn’t a popularity contest.  Think of some of the greats who have played/are playing the game and you’ll realise that if you weren’t supporting the side they played for, you probably didn’t particularly like them very much – think Martin Johnson, Richie McCaw, and pretty much any half-decent Australian (David Campese anyone?!).  And the same rule applies to all the best sides as well, with England in 2003, Australia in 1999 and New Zealand any other time not exactly finding themselves swamped in flowers or best wishes.  But in a way, the scorn, the hatred and the disdain are just projections of a jealousy that’s felt by others who don’t share the same level of success – in a way, it’s actually a compliment, and the best sides realise this and use it to their advantage.

It’s fair to say that Saracens haven’t particularly ingratiated themselves amongst the general rugby public lately .  Some of that derision may be self inflicted – with ‘The Doctor’ Brendan Venter’s antics, the ‘rent-a-crowd’ allegations and a style of play that would make drying paint seem like Michael Bay movie not helping matters, and that’s not to mention the absolutely atrocious songs that they’ve produced to be played every 30 seconds at home games (which are as enjoyable to listen to as a an orchestra of tone-deaf cats). 

No, despite these ‘minor’ irritations, Sarries are unpopular because they win.  They sometimes win ugly, but who cares?!  They get the win, and every team wants a piece of that action – even if they do lie and say they’d rather ‘play pretty and lose’.  And, in fairness, Saracens have been busting out some pretty decent rugby of late.  Three bonus point wins on the bounce, including a stunning away victory at Leicester, has highlighted a clinical attacking edge to the Saracens game that complements their hard-nosed forward play.  This has been coupled with a move to a new ultra-modern home ground with a fast artificial pitch, and they seem to have adapted their game to suit their new environment – but although it may make them better to watch, it certainly didn’t improve their popularity among Harlequins supporters on Sunday.

On a freezing, blustery Sunday, the script at Allianz Park should have had the stodgy Saracens trying to contain the free-flowing defending champions – but it was the hosts who were full of a boundless energy that caught Quins by surprise.  Mako Vunipola, who had a phenomenal game, made his first big statement of the day by hitting a gorgeous line in the midfield to take him past Joe Gray and Danny Care, before he was hauled down just short.  The pressure was enough to force the champions into conceding a penalty which Owen Farrell duly converted, before Nick Evans got Quins on the scoreboard with own 3-pointer 3 minutes later.  Saracens were looking dangerous in attack but they were continually let down by the perennially –frustrating Matt Stevens, who conceded two penalties in quick succession, firstly giving away territory and then 3 points to the boot of Evans, before Farrell levelled the scores with a kick of his own.

Things then took a bad turn for the visitors, after the sharp David Strettle made strong metres up the left hand flank before Ashton burst through the middle with a great break, offloading expertly to the onrushing Will Fraser who was brought down by a sensational cover tackle by fullback Mike Brown.  The scrambling defence was from Quins was frantic and exhausting, so much so that prop Joe Marler decided to take a nap on top of the ball in a ruck 2 metres from his own line, earning himself another rest in the sin bin and handing 3 points to Owen Farrell, who added 3 more 2 minutes later after a strong gallop from Ernst Joubert.

The game was on the edge of getting tries and it was the hosts who duly delivered, with a burst from the excellent Alistair Hargreaves and Kelly Brown giving Sarries good field position, before the recycled ball made its way to Schalk Brits, who wriggled over the line for his first try in 2 seasons.  Evans clawed 3 points back before the break, but Harlequins were having a rare problem of not being able to penetrate the opposition defence.

It was more of the same after the break, but at least Harlequins managed to turn around their shakey scrum, shunting the hosts’ pack backwards for a penalty which Evans slotted.  Then came another magic moment from the home side, with a surge up the right wing by Kelly Brown (including an audacious Mothercare-standard dummy) ending when the omnipresent Chris Ashton was brought down just short of the whitewash.  The ball was recycled quickly though and Farrell dropped a gorgeous cross kick over to the other side of the pitch, where flanker Will Fraser collected to touch down, much to the delight of the home crowd.  Farrell’s conversion effectively sealed the game, especially when he followed it up with another penalty to take the score to 27-12.

There was still time for Chris Ashton to earn himself a yellow card after nearly decapitating Maurie Fa’asavalu with a ridiculous clothesline following a scintillating run from the ever-dangerous Mike Brown, but this was Saracens day.  Their defence was impenetrable, and their attack clinical.  The full time whistle went, and Sarries has another significant scalp to their name – and they earned it by playing some great rugby too.

Careful Sarries, if you carry on like that, it will become irritatingly hard to find a reason to dislike you.

 

Where else was the action happening over the weekend?

Sale Sharks 14 – 13 Bath:  Sale picked up a vital win that may secure their survival for this year as they turned over Heineken Cup-hunting Bath in freezing Salford on Friday.  Horacio Agulla scored a try for the visitors before a Tom Brady effort with 10 minutes remaining proved enough to seal the win for the Sharks.

Gloucester 15 – 14 London Welsh:  Gloucester squeezed past a determined London Welsh side who kept their survival hopes alive as they wait for a decision on their appeal over their points deduction.  Welsh scored a try through winger Phil MacKenzie whilst Gloucester had to rely on the boot of Freddie Burns for all their points.

London Irish 26 – 6 Worcester Warriors:  London Irish eased past the Warriors in a solid win at the Madjeski Stadium, but will be disappointed they didn’t pick up a try bonus point after going most of the second half scoreless.  Flanker Matt Garvey, prop Halani ‘Aulika and number 8 Chris Hala’ufia all touched down for the hosts, with Worcester’s only points coming from Andy Goode, with 2 penalties.

London Wasps 24 – 26 Northampton Saints:  Saints won a stunning game at the death with a last minute try that broke Wasps hearts and put a dent in their playoff hosts.  The visitors dominated the forwards battle via huge drives from the pack, which resulted in a penalty try and touchdowns for Lee Dickson, Dylan Hartley and a last-minute winner from Christian Day.  But the highlights of the day were undoubtedly two unbelievable finishes by Tom Varndell and young centre/wing Elliot Daly, which pulled the hosts within a whisker of a great win.

Exeter Chiefs 9 – 12 Leicester Tigers:  Toby Flood kicked Leicester to a win in a turgid encounter with the Chiefs at Sandy Park.  Gareth Steenson, who kicked all of Exeter’s points, was short with the final kick of the game which would have grabbed a draw, but the Tigers clung on (despite making a hash of booting the ball out) to claim a narrow win at their bogey ground.