Heineken Cup Semi Final Preview - Saracens v Toulon

No matter what you think of Sarries, they're now a pretty successful club. Some people don't like it but I've started to come around – the cheerleaders, the fan marches, even the ear-bleedingly bad songs all add to the personality of the club and create a welcoming atmosphere for new fans. Of course they're backed by Nigel Wray, which helps, but it's great to see a club thinking about its long term aspirations to be successful, which is what it’s doing when it gets itself its own ground and brings through quality young players like Will Fraser and Ben Spencer.  And when you have Wray’ wallet paying the expenses, is fair to say that Sarries are quite well off.

But there’s quite well off, and then there’s ridiculous – otherwise known as Toulon.  I made the point in my last Toulon preview that their team looks like the dream team from an EA Sports rugby game in 2008, and I have now come to the conclusion that their wealthy owner, Mourad Boudjellal, is merely a puppet for his young son’s whims – with orders such as “I like that player – buy him” forming the crux of their recruitment policy.  The experience and savvy of this Toulon side is second to none, but I’ve yet to be blown away by them.  They look vulnerable against teams who move their pack around the park with speed, because of their high average age, and they only got on top of Leicester when Tom Croft went off and Toby Flood was sinbinned, forcing a tighter game strategy.  Place that on top of the fact that they don’t always travel well – see their abysmal away display at Montpellier in the group stages – and you will see that whilst money is great, it isn’t everything.

But to write off this Toulon side would be madness.  What stood out in their quarter final is that they have men for every occasion, and one is always bound to stand up and be counted – against Leicester, Jonny Wilkinson put in a kicking masterclass whilst Bakkies Botha ruthlessly clawed his pack back into the position of total dominance.  It turns out you can buy that sort of experience.  But as the cheesey motto goes, something special is happening at Saracens.  This is a side renowned for their pragmatic, territory based approach, but we have seen them score some stunning tries over the last few weeks – and if they play with a wider game plan, I’m sure they can cause the visitors no end of trouble, with wingers Dave Strettle and Chris Ashton bang in form and big centre Joel Tomkins becoming more of an influence in every game.

Whatever happens, you can guarantee it will be a cracking occasion – Sarries know how to throw a party, even if the ERC have c*cked up royally with venue selection and ticket prices.  But as Nigel Wray will know – the best measure of success is silverware.  And Sarries can get one step closer to the big one on Sunday afternoon.

 

Saracens Team News

Saracens recall Brown at open-side with Will Fraser ruled out through injury. Ashton takes over from Chris Wyles, who drops to the bench, as does Charlie Hodgson with Owen Farrell reverting to fly-half. John Smit makes way for Brits at hooker.

Starting Line up: Alex Goode, Chris Ashton, Joel Tomkins, Brad Barritt, David Strettle, Owen Farrell, Richard Wigglesworth; Mako Vunipola, Schalk Brits, Matt Stevens, Steve Borthwick, Alistair Hargreaves, Jackson Wray, Kelly Brown, Ernst Joubert.

Subs: John Smit, Rhys Gill, Carlos Nieto, Mouritz Botha, George Kruis, Neil de Kock, Charlie Hodgson, Chris Wyles

Key Player

Kelly Brown. The Scottish captain and the slug that lives above his eyes are a formidable presence around the park, but in Juan Fernandez Lobbe the flanker will have a tricky opponent. The Saracens man is renowned for his workrate and his ability to get to every breakdown to secure his side's ball and to disrupt the opposition, but Lobbe has been brought in for Steffon Armitage in a direct attempt to take Brown out the game. Lobbe also has an incredible engine on him, and so the battle of the breakdown may well come down to who can push themselves further and harder than the other. It will be a brutal day at the office.

 

Toulon Team News

Fly-half Jonny Wilkinson will captain Toulon, who also include fellow England internationals Delon Armitage, Andrew Sheridan and Nick Kennedy, but Steffon Armitage has to settle for a place on the replacements' bench. Argentina star Juan Fernandez Lobbe plays at open-side, with new South African recruit Danie Rossouw starting at blind-side. The cash-rich French club also include former Springboks lock Bakkies Botha, ex-All Blacks prop Carl Hayman, former Wallaby centre Matt Giteau, plus four France internationals including centre Mathieu Bastareaud.

Starting Line up: Delon Armitage, Rudi Wulf, Mathieu Bastareaud, Matt Giteau, Alexis Palisson, Jonny Wilkinson, Sébastien Tillous-Borde; Andrew Sheridan, Sebastien Bruno, Carl Hayman, Bakkies Botha, Nick Kennedy, Danie Rossouw, Juan Fernandez Lobbe, Chris Masoe.

Subs: Jean-Charles Orioli, Gethin Jenkins, Davit Kubriashvili, Joe van Niekerk, Steffon Armitage, Maxime Mermoz, Frederic Michalak, Jocelino Suta.

Key Player

Bakkies Botha. The South African veteran was a destructive force – literally – against Leicester in the quarters, playing with a relentless physicality that swung the pendulum back towards the home side when the going got tough. His battle against Borthwick in the lineout will be key for the French side, but his work in the loose can also not be overlooked – if the big man hits the breakdown like we know he can, then the momentum generated by this well-oiled Saracens machine may just shudder to a halt.

 

Key Battle

Owen Farrell v Jonny Wilkinson. Who else? I picked Flood v Wilkinson last time and Wilko just about came trumps, and now he has the England 1st choice 10 to deal with. Since Farrell has broken onto the scene, the comparisons with Wilkinson have been numerous and tedious, but not all together inaccurate – in the sense that their kicking prowess off the tee and from the hand, and their brutal defence, are the premier aspects of their game. Although they are more than capable of playing attractive rugby, both sides generally like to employ safety-first game plans, getting into the right areas of the pitch, and so it may come down to which of these two men can ping the ball into the corners most effectively – and nudge the ball between the posts of course.

 

Prediction

This is a real nasty one to call and it could go either way. Both sides will be looking to play territory dominated, practical rugby, so we may see a lot of kicking in the early stages and it will come down to whoever settles down first. Although I think Will Fraser is a huge loss for the Sarries pack (with the youngster being nominated for player of the season in the Premiership), I think Kelly Brown should be able to cope with Lobbe and I haven't been overly impressed by Toulon in Europe this year, and if it wasn't for a yellow card and injury to a key player, I think we'd be seeing an all-English semi-final. I think this is the season where Sarries go that extra step – Saracens by 3.