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Essai, not nesseSarry!


By King Zak
January 24 2016

  Saracens confirmed their position at the top the European rankings and made it 6 from 6 with a far from convincing win at Stade Ernst Wallon on Saturday. In a game that they dominated for long periods it will be of some concern that the try count was 3-1 in favour of the home team.  

The day started with a gentle stroll in the warm sunshine for lunch at the Toulouse Supporters Bar, La Huit.  We were warmly welcomed and enjoyed some excellent French hospitality at the pre-match lunch before completing the short walk to the stadium. It was great to see so many Sarries had made the trip and suitably lubricated their vocal chords!

As the game got underway it was the visitors who took the early initiative and the lead through a Hodgson penalty as Toulouse infringed at the breakdown. On their next foray into the Toulouse 22, Hodgson took the pragmatic option, electing the drop goal to give an early 6 point lead. This was extended further when Toulouse infringed at the scrum and Hodgson slotted the penalty.  It was all one way traffic as Saracens sought to drive home their advantage.

It was also a typical Saracens performance, probing in attack and ferocious in defence. The returning Barritt and Burger were clearly intent on making up for their recent absence, more than ably assisted by the rest of the self-styled 'Wolfpack'. As the first half progressed the home support became frustrated at the lack of progress the 'other' rouge et noir were able to make. It felt that if Saracens could get another score, preferably a try, they would have the game won by halftime.

Finally the opportunity arose. With Toulouse forced into ever increasing pressure, they finally threw an interception pass. Jackson Wray was the grateful recipient and he set off from the host's 10m line. The defence was in disarray and he only really had one man to beat as the cover tackle came across. Wray chose to drive infield, into the tackle, rather than back himself to score in the corner. In a foretaste of things to come, the ball slipped from his grasp in the tackle and the chance was lost. It was also of concern that the support runners were somewhat slow in arriving, allowing Toulouse to clear relatively easily.

It proved to be even more costly when Toulouse managed to score on their first foray into Sarries 22, three minutes before the interval. Goode and Taylor were unable to deal with a rather speculative chip-kick through, the latter failing to gather the ball and merely kicking it back across field. The grateful McAlister could scarcely believe his good fortune as he gathered the ball to score unopposed. With the successful conversion, Saracens led 7-9  at the break - they would have been very disappointed with such a small margin given their dominance in almost every area of the pitch.

Spencer had replaced de Kock early in the half and was joined by Farrell (for Hodgson) and Mako Vunipola (for Barrington) at the start of the second period. The impact was instant; firstly through another penalty (this time from Farrell) and then a try. It was a wonderful effort too, created by Goode, finished by Spencer. As Goode took a high kick in his own half, he mesmerised the home defence; ball in two hands he simply glided through the bemused Toulouse backline. As the tackle was finally made, he passed inside to Spencer who chipped over Medard, re-gathered the ball and crossed the line. Farrell's simple conversion gave Saracens a 12 point lead 5 minutes into the half. Another score now and the game would surely be won.

The opportunity arrived shortly afterwards; another wonderful line break, a few phases close to the line, Farrell running the perfect line to cross and score under the posts............BUT, beyond belief, he somehow contrived to drop the ball in the act of trying to place it!! If that was a surprise, the fact he was involved in a bit of 'rough & tumble' at the ensuing scrum was not! Having seen the mercurial Nigel Owens referee Farrell several times, he almost acts as a fatherly figure to him but surely Faz cannot keep testing the Welshman's patience.

The error allowed Toulouse to progress upfield and it was only an act of solidarity with Farrell by Camara, as he dropped the ball stretching to touchdown, that denied the hosts their second try. However, the reprieve this time was short-lived as McAlister scored his second try of the afternoon. The conversion was missed and Farrell managed to restore a two score lead with another penalty shortly afterwards.

Once again Saracens were architects of another 'Dewhurst' moment (butchered try - get it?). A superb line break by Taylor looked certain to result in a try for the Scottish centre. However, he elected to throw a speculative overhead pass towards Spencer. The ball was just behind him and shin high, his attempt to catch it resulted in a knock-on. Toulouse could scarcely believe their luck and took full advantage as Medard crossed for the host's third try of the afternoon. Flood failed with the conversion attempt and with just less than 10 minutes remaining, Sarries led 17-22.

More Toulouse indiscretion allowed Farrell to again extend the lead and when Toulouse infringed on their next attack the game was won. It was somewhat harsh on the home team that they were denied any match points by one final Farrell penalty, the game ending 17-28 to the visitors. Farrell's error will have had several message boards reaching meltdown I suspect, but his ability to put it behind him and successfully kick all of his goals speaks volumes about his character. It is this attribute, to score when it matters most, that sets him apart from any other 10 in England.

Man off the Match (according to the Stadium announcer) went to Luke McAlister, and he certainly put in a fine performance. However, I thought Jamie George, George Kruis and Michael Rhodes were once again outstanding. The South African brings a real dynamic impetus and threat to an already aggressive defence

We returned post-match to Le Huit where our hosts were most generous in defeat. A short walk followed to Haka Corner where mein host, Byron Kelleher, made us feel most welcome. This really is a rugby supporters dream, packed with All Black memorabilia (plus some stuff from a bloke called Wilkinson) - a must visit!

A wonderful visit as ever to the beautiful city of Toulouse, thank you to everyone whom we met and made it so enjoyable! Merci bien!!

 

TOULOUSE

 

Medard, (Fickou) Clerc, Flood, Fritz, Perez, McAlister, Doussain (Mele), Steenkamp (Baille), Flynn (Tolofua),Tialata (Muller), Millo-Chluski, Albacete, Camara, Harinordoquy (Lamboley), Galan (Tekori)

 

SARACENS

Goode, Taylor (Ransom), Bosch, Barritt, Wyles, Hodgson (Farrell), De Kock (Spencer), Barrington (M Vunipola), George (Saunders), Figallo (Du Plessis), Hamilton (Smith), Kruis, Rhodes, Burger, Wray (B Vunipola)

SCORERS:

Toulouse: Tries- McAlister (2) Medard,  Conv- Flood

Saracens: Try- Spencer, Conv- Farrell, Pens- Hodgson (2), Farrell (4), Drop Goal: Hodgson 

Attendance: No idea but there was a healthy gathering of Sarries! (Apparently 12,498 -Ed!)

Referee: Best in the World! (that's Nigel Owens just in cas eyou didn't know -Ed!)

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Essai, not nesseSarry!
Discussion started by TheSaracens.com , 24/01/2016 21:39
TheSaracens.com
24/01/2016 21:39
Thanks Chris, sounds like a good weekend!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2016:02:08:16:03:06 by Darraghgirl.

derbyshire fan
24/01/2016 23:09
Thanks for this

davidthesarrie
24/01/2016 23:18
Thanks for the review. Great reading and a relief waking up to this news!

King Zak
25/01/2016 07:55
DG, thanks for the additional info! It was written during lunch at Victor Hugo, so all a but rushed!

Nous sommes l'armée noir et rouge !

The Bard
25/01/2016 15:43
Just got back from a marvellous weekend down in Toulouse, they really are a helpful and friendly bunch. Very interesting comparison between the profiles of the teams, ST are very prominent in the city centre and even have a shop at the airport!
Apparently this was their first defeat at the Ernest Wallon all season. Thought their no6 was MOM, he looked very much the French Maro!

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