What are the grounds to classify a home ground as a
fortress? Is it when you’ve been
unbeaten for 5 years, like Clermont Auvergne; or just because it’s old and has
a tradition of being a tricky place to win, like Welford Road? I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a
combination of being hard to beat and having something different, like a
terrace or a ‘Shed’. And if one side
does different, it’s Saracens, and that’s what’s making me think that their
new(ish) home, Allianz Park, may just be creeping into fortress territory. It’s the cheerleaders, the terrible music,
the plastic pitch and magnificent 100metre long bar – plus the fact that
Sarries have looked damned good there – that make it such an unusual setting for visiting teams to
come to. But this weekend, their
visitors, Northampton, won’t have time to be overawed by their new surroundings
– with a pack as big as an East Midlands’ hamlet and in a bad mood after last
week’s loss, this grumpy group of forwards will have no qualms about charging
in, ruining the party and smashing the fortress to smithereens. The hosts must be on their guard.
Saracens, at home, have looked a different side to the one
we frequently see banded around the newspapers.
Ambitious, fast-paced and clinical, there have even been whisperings
that they’re pretty good to watch – is it all down to their new pitch, or is it
just the pride at finally having place they can call their own. Perhaps it is a bit of both but, call me
romantic, I’d like to think it’s the latter.
Even the most steadfast Sarries fan with a couple of decades worth of
fezzes would have trouble claiming that their side has been easy on the eye
over the last couple of years – despite being effective, they’ve relied mainly
on a superb kick-chase and pressure defence which pins teams back and forces
them into defence. But what has never
been in doubt is the quality and potential they possess out wide – guys like
Alex Goode, Chris Ashton and David Strettle are all superb runners and they’ve
been dying to get some quick ball in space.
Now, at Allianz Park, they’ve finally got their wish, and boy do they
look good. They’ll need more of that
high tempo stuff if they are to dismantle the Saints in the same way the Tigers
did last month – and their new home is the perfect place to implement that game
plan.
So what of it for Saints?
Resounding underdogs heading to a newly built fortress – it doesn’t
sound promising. But this Northampton
side should never be underestimated. With
class players like Dylan Hartley, Christian Day and Ben Foden in their ranks,
this lot will never take a backwards step – and when you have the likes of Courtney
Lawes and the superbly named Samu Manoa lurking around, you can be sure that a
few cages (of the rib variety) will get rattled. Their pack has received most of the plaudits
and rightly so – their bonus point win at Wasps earlier in the season was a
lesson in how to utilise the rolling maul, and if they are to threaten Saracens
they need to dent the hosts confidence by steamrolling them early on and
applying the pressure. If Sarries get on
top in the physical battles though, it could be a long afternoon for the
Saints.
Allianz Park might not be classified as a fortress just yet,
but the walls are being raised ever higher.
The Saints may have the big tools needed to pull off a destruction job,
but I get the feeling that Sarries aren’t quite ready for a demolition just
yet. Make sure your hard hats are on,
because this one may get explosive...
Saracens Team News
Saracens have openside flanker Will Fraser back for the
first time in three weeks after a shoulder injury. The Premiership's top team bring in full-back
Alex Goode in their only other change to the XV that beat Bath.
Starting Line up: Goode;
Ashton, Tomkins, Farrell, Strettle; Hodgson, De Kock; Vunipola, Brits, Stevens;
Borthwick (C), Hargreaves; Brown, Fraser, Wray.
Subs: Smit. Gill, Nieto, Botha, Kruis, Wigglesworth,
Taylor, Wyles.
Key Player
Will Fraser. In my
opinion this guy was exceptionally unlucky not to pick up a gong at the recent
Premiership Awards – put simply, he’s been outstanding. Lightening fast around the pitch, making big
tackles and snaffling good turnover ball, he’s proven himself as a real talent
and he may well get a chance to represent his country this year whilst Robshaw
is rested. Sarries haven’t quite been as
sharp as usual of late and a lot of that is down to the fact that they lost a
lot of fluency with Fraser out injured – but now he’s returned, Saracens will
look to the young flanker to be the first to breakdown to secure ball quickly
and allow the bigger runners the chance to run at a retreating defence. Of course, as it’s his first match back, this
all depends on him being 100% match fit...
Northampton Team
News
Centre George Pisi has suffered a recurrence of his
hamstring problem, so James Wilson comes in; otherwise director of rugby Jim
Mallinder will stick with the same side that lost to Harlequins last week.
Starting Line up: Foden;
K Pisi, Wilson, Burrell, Elliott; Myler, Dickson; Tonga'uiha, Hartley (C),
Mujati; Lawes, Day; Clark, Wood, Manoa.
Subs: Haywood,
Waller, Mercey, Dowson, Van Velze, Roberts, Lamb, May.
Key Player
Dylan Hartley. The
England hooker has been honoured with a Lions call up that has surprised a fair
few, but there is little doubt over the Saints’ captain’s quality. Aggressive in the loose, solid in the set
piece and strong on the carry, he exemplifies the best qualities of this
Northampton side – but he will have his work cut out on Sunday. Saracens will be targeting the lineout as a
potential area of weakness in the knowledge that Hartley is prone to the odd
off-day, and in Steve Borthwick they have not only one of the most boring men in
the world but also one of the best stealers of lineout ball in the
business. If the visitors want to get
their fabled rolling maul...well...rolling, Hartley will have to make sure he’s
deadly accurate with his throws and vary it up enough to keep Borthwick out of
the game.
Key Battle
Joel Tomkins v Luther Burrell. The Saracens’ league-convert had a tricky
start to the year as he settled into his new role, but since then he’s shown
himself to be a quietly effective and bruisingly physical specimen of an
outside centre. An expert at drawing in
defenders, breaking the gainline and offloading out of the tackle, Burrell
& co will have to make sure he’s up fast to stop the big man from picking
up momentum. That’s not to say that the
Saint’s own convert from the 13-a-side game isn’t capable of causing some
damage himself – like Tomkins, Burrell is a bruising figure with deceptive pace
capable of barrelling his way over the gainline. He’s underrated by many but I can’t see why
Saints haven’t used him more – he’s impressed in most of his outings and he
seems tailor made for that 12 shirt. In
a game likely to be dominated by the power-packed battle up front, it may well
come down to which one of these big men in the middle is able to get their side
on the front foot and generate momentum.
Prediction
The Saints have an almighty pack that’s capable of crushing
sides to pieces in the tight, but they’ve struggled against sides who can match
their physicality and I don’t see that changing against Sarries. The men in black have one of the most brutal
eight in the business (after all, half of them are South African) and on their
plastic pitch they’ve looked simply unstoppable. I reckon Northampton will give a decent go of
it but will fall away in the second half.
Sarries by 9.
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