Saracens 32 – Irish 13

However it was Sarries who had the last laugh, picking up a try bonus point and leaving LI with nothing to show for their vast effort.

We decided after our last visit to Vicarage Road to sit in the unreserved stand this time, and a good decision it was too. Sitting in the centre of the stand, (Away from those mad drummers, mind) we had an excellent view of the action.

From the off, it was clear the Irish had decided to test Saracens by throwing out long passes and trying to execute an almost all out running game. At the beginning of the match this met with some success before Saracens regained possession, and our old friend Glenda Jackson missed an attempted drop goal. Several minutes later a deep Dan Scarborough clearance had brought Saracens within Irish’s 22. After the resulting line out, a scrum was called and Irish lost on its own put in. The scrum, which had managed to play better last week was found wanting early on and often this week. The kick by Jackson was tipped but, the bounce was kind, and Kevin Sorrell caught the ball and ran in for the first try after only 6 minutes just left of the posts, converted by Jackson.

Saracens 7 – 0 Irish

From this Irish took the kick off and El Ninho made the first of several barn storming runs to break through Saracens tackling. It was quickly recycled to Stan but was lost after some good work by Sarries. Irish lost their own lineout thereafter, and unfortunately the lineout that tore Wasps apart last week had not turned up this week. This was only the first of a few times Irish would lose on their own possession.

At the 11 minute mark, Justin Bishop made another half break but was isolated. The ball was passed out to Jackson who kicked long enough for Bailey to touchdown on the left hand side of the pitch. A tough kick was converted by Jackson.

Saracens 14 – 0 Irish

Irish got on the board after this though, another fantastic restart by Flutey, who continued his good kicking form of last week. Some Sarries players were guilty of blocking Irish runners and Flutey knocked over the penalty with ease.

Saracens 14 – 3 Irish

But just as quickly as they had got on the board, Irish conceded their own penalty. El Ninho was penalised for coming in at the wrong side of a maul after the restart, and Jackson kicked the 3 pointer to re-establish the 14 point lead.

Saracens 17 – 3 Irish

For the next 10 minutes or so, Irish would enjoy the bulk of the possession while rarely threatening to score. The one exception being Jackson’s own bad judgement in over throwing his team-mates when an overlap and try seemed begging in the 20th minute. Several times players chose the wrong option or the final pass was lacking. Good breaks by Geraghty and Armitage were both wasted during this time. It was to cost Irish dear. A 5m lineout in Irish territory was won but knocked on. With a scrum 5m out, Saracens turned the screw and were denied once by having it held up but on 30 mins, Bracken scored in a try that Bob Casey seemed to dispute quite heavily with Referee Dave Pearson. It seemed fine enough, and Jackson missed the resulting conversion.

Saracens 22 – 3 Irish

The remainder of the half was all Irish as they attempted to get on the board, and they were guilty of wasting numerous chances in the last 10 minutes. A good break by Gussie was wasted as Delon fired a pass at Stan who knocked on. 5 minutes later, Flutey broke in the middle of the field. Danaher took the ball and gave to Roche, who took the contact with Bish on his outside. Irish would get a couple of penalties and kick them to touch but no points would result.

Halftime: Saracens 22 – 3 Irish

Unfortunately halftime was marred by the sight of Rob Hardwick unconscious on the field, who had been knocked out in an apparent collision with Iain Fullarton. From my viewpoint I certainly couldn’t see any foul play, and I hope the big man makes a speedy recovery. Saracens while having a handy lead, didn’t have a lot of possession and it seemed they were better able to play the conditions. Irish’s desire to throw the ball about often lead to slipping and errors while Saracens were content to soak up the pressure and play the percentages.

Halftime substitutions: Flavin for Paice, Collins for Hardwick.

The second half started much like the first, Irish winning the restart, throwing the ball about but losing momentum after a poor pass over Flavin. Good work by Bish, El Ninho and Penney afterwards though resulted in a easy penalty for Flutey in front of the posts.

Saracens 22 – 6 Irish

Five minutes later another good kick by Flutey was won by Danaher, who much like the rest of his back row mates had a good game. But another forward pass would ruin the move within the Saracens 22. 5 minutes passed and with concerted pressure in the red zone, it looked good for a try before more slipping and a crossing call on the left hand side. Finally however, Irish would get their try. On 55 minutes Penney took a pass from Willis, who beat two Saracens defenders to score slightly to the right of the posts. Flutey converted to keep his 100% record intact, and it started to look up.

Saracens 22 – 13 Irish

As soon as Irish had seized the initiative though, they gave it right back. Again. On 58 minutes, a penalty was awarded for Irish offside. Jackson obliged to increase the lead.

Saracens 25 – 13 Irish

For 10 minutes Irish would have a lot of effort and long passes but frequently, players were slipping and/or knocking on. It was becoming increasingly frustrating to watch as Saracens seemed able to soak up the pressure long enough for Irish to make a mistake and then boot them downfield. It was from such a situation that Sarries would get their bonus point. On 70 minutes Delon attempted to take a quick line out deep in Irish territory after a huge kick downfield by I believe Dan Scarborough. The officials ruled that Delon had not taken the throw properly and Sarries had a scrum 5m from the line. Skirving took the ball off the back and duly ran in the try, converted by Jackson, to kill off the game as a contest.

Saracens 32 – Irish 13

At the death Irish should have had a consolation try by Delon Armitage. On 75 minutes, with the line at his mercy, he attempted a swallow dive only to knock on before he touched down, with pressure coming from Dan Scarborough. After some handbags with Glenda Jackson, it looked like he took a swing at him, and even after consultations with both touch judges, Delon was very lucky to be on the pitch at all. A fantastic player he may be, but he has to keep his temperament in order. The rest of the game played out with numerous errors before Dave Pearson ended the contest.

Final Score: Saracens 32 – Irish 13

Things I think I think about the Game…

• Riki’s hanging restarts and kicking were as good as last week, and he maintained a 100% record. Would be nice to see him paired with both Catt and Dodge next week.
• Leguizamon was a wonder, running hard and fast, often taking 2 or 3 defenders down with him. Fabulous stuff, and Murphy has a fight on his hand for the Number 8 shirt.
• Penney’s running was often great and varied, and he took his try well. But for the several times he lost his footing, he could have had an even greater impact.
• Poor Scrum & Lineout. Both improved slightly in the second half however, after Paice was taken off.
• Saracens Tactics. While the weather was perfect for running rugby, the under foot conditions were not, and Saracens played the percentages well. Irish didn’t adapt and frequently would try to dodge a tackle and end up on their backside. Either that, or they were all trying to impersonate Geraghty’s try from last weekend…
• Knock On’s. Too many. FAR too many.
• Delon needs to keep his hands to himself. He’s talented, and he didn’t cost us the game, but overall he had a poor game culminating in an exaggerated swan dive and an attempted punch which probably should have been punished by Dave Pearson.

A disappointing game to lose, with so much possession to Irish. However, as in any sport, if you don’t take your chances, you won’t win. And Irish were guilty of that. All too often a nice move was undone by a wrong decision, a knock on or someone slipping. Saracens got their tries through some lucky bounces, a badly taken quick lineout and two bad scrums. Were we three tries worse than Sarries? No, but they took their chances when they came, while we huffed and puffed for most of the game. Northampton next week will be on a high after beating the Dragons convincingly. It’s up to Brian Smith to work out the kinks with the team, otherwise a loss up at Franklin Gardens will hurt a lot more than today’s did.

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