Saracens
SARACENS v EXETER CHIEFS: post match-related content here
By The Saracens
October 3 2024
What a difference a year makes! This time in 2023 we were firmly rooted to the bottom of the table (yes even below the Falcons) with zero points from 2 games: a walloping down at Sandy Park and then a humiliating home defeat by Bath. This season we have full marks, 10 out of 10 after 2 excellent wins against Gloucester and Sale. Sunday sees the visit of Exeter Chiefs. Chiefs have had a bit of a nightmare start this time around in 9th place with just 2 bonus points. In fact the performances haven’t been too bad: a narrow defeat at home to Leicester Tigers followed by another close call away to Northampton.
Chiefs are much changed from last year and still without arguably their best player Henry Slade, recovering from shoulder surgery. A whole sheaf of players left the club at the end of last season including Alec Hepburn, Ollie Devoto & Jonny Gray, with only 2 new signings from Ealing Trailfinders. However the Chiefs can still boast players of the calibre of Olly Woodburn, Greg Fisilau, Scott Sio, Jack Yeandle and England speedster Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Exeter have quite an injury list already including Jacques Vermeulen, Niall Armstrong and Ben Hammersley
Sarries are chugging along very nicely. Young Fergus Burke is settling in nicely and beginning to link up with Van Zyl and Loz. The back row of Willis, Earl and Christie is firing on all cylinders and the scrum is competitive with Rhys Carre and Marco Riccioni teaming up nicely. We rotate our hookers with Jamie starting and Theo on the bench this week. Elliot Daly is on fire and young Tobias Elliot is looking like the real deal. We have yet to welcome our Pumas, Lucio Cinti and Juan-Martin Gonzalez back to the team (and I would imagine they’ll get another couple of weeks off following their appearances for Argentina in the Rugby Championship). Maro is out for at least a week with a “minor” knock to his knee so I assume we will see either Nick Isiekwe or Theo MacFarland in his place. England captain Jamie George has had quite an easy time so far. We have yet to see Louie Johnson in earnest (largely because Sarries have gone for a 6:2 bench split for the first 2 games and Alex Goode has belied his years with 2 great cameos off the bench) and he is playing for Storm on Friday so maybe he still needs to bide his time..
Sarries would expect to win this one and continue their great start to the season but we all know that things don’t always go to plan. I don’t expect too many changes to the starting 15, a couple of tweaks maybe. Maro hobbled off just after half time so fingers crossed he’s Ok.
The man in the middle was voted your least favourite referee in our recent poll: Karl Dickson. He is aided by Joe James and Jonathan Healy with our old friend David Rose in the van.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:10:14:17:40:15 by Darraghgirl.
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant Referees: Joe James & Jonathan Healy
TMO: David Rose
Saracens Men team to play Exeter Chiefs:
1 Rhys Carre
2 Jamie George
3 Marco Riccioni
4 Nick Isiekwe
5 Hugh Tizard
6 Theo McFarland
7 Ben Earl
8 Tom Willis
9 Ivan van Zyl (c)
10 Fergus Burke
11 Rotimi Segun
12 Nick Tompkins
13 Alex Lozowski
14 Tobias Elliott
15 Elliot Daly
Replacements:
16 Theo Dan
17 Eroni Mawi
18 Ollie Hoskins
19 Andy Onyeama-Christie
20 Juan Martin Gonzalez
21 Toby Knight
22 Charlie Bracken
23 Alex Goode
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:10:04:13:03:05 by Sarriebone.
Exeter Chiefs:
15 Josh Hodge
14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
13 Olly Woodburn
12 Joe Hawkins
11 Ben Hammersley
10 Will Haydon-Wood
9 Sam Maunder
1 Will Goodrick-Clarke
2 Jack Yeandle (c)
3 Marcus Street
4 Jack Dunne
5 Christ Tshiunza
6 Ethan Roots
7 Richard Capstick
8 Greg Fisilau
Replacements:
16 Jack Innard
17 Kwenzo Blose
18 Josh Iosefa-Scott
19 Rusi Tuima
20 Martin Moloney
21 Tom Cairns
22 Harvey Skinner
23 Will Rigg
Chiefs have a few injuries and will be looking for their first win of the season. COYS! See you at the Stonex!
Also the back rowers will be rotated along similar lines.
"Is there a team that we would prefer to beat than Saracens? Probably not,"
Quote:TommyKentish
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/c99v7v0kz89o Baxter addifng a little spice to the mix.
"Is there a team that we would prefer to beat than Saracens? Probably not,"
Rob Baxter is a bit of a media darling by virtue of the fact that he gives them plenty of copy. McCall just gets on with it and wins.
Quote:Roger G
I was looking forward to a good match....then saw who the ref is.
Oh dear…
After the Storm game on Friday night I nearly bought a last minute ticket for today, annoyed I didn't but also glad I didn't as I spent 4hrs sat in A&E instead...
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
Quote:StrangeloveQuote:Roger G
I was looking forward to a good match....then saw who the ref is.
Oh dear…
I take it back. He missed a few things but had a pretty decent game today IMHO.
On another day we’d win by more.
As for Exeter… maybe Rob should do more coaching and less mouthing off because they were very very poor
Very dull second half as both teams happy to kick it back to each other and neither challenging the breakdown either, which made Karl Dicksons afternoon a lot easier!
Shout out to Nick Isiekwe who was excellent today and clearly won his battle
The post match content on the TNT coverage and the Review (with Ben Earl) are worth catching as they speak to about a dozen of our players / coaches. Chris Ashton gets a lot of ribbing along the lines of Tobias Elliott will score more tries than he did, never mind Christian Wade.
I couldn't get to the game today, I guess the atmosphere must have been great.
Safe journeys home.
Successful hills are here to stay
Everything must be this way
Gentle streets where people play
Welcome to the Soft Parade
🌻🌻🌻
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:10:06:19:34:09 by AP.
They look like a team very short of leaders on the pitch …
In recent Exe game I though he had a very good game.
Go figure.
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
We've got 15 league points from 3 games. BUT, we have beaten the team at Castle Grim, a place which is grim, but no-one's idea of a castle for years; a Sale side who lost most of their midfield early on; and a shower who are both winless and drawless.
There will be sterner challenges ahead.
At least Maro is getting some rest - I hope doesn't get injured whilst modelling 😁
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
Quote:TonyTaff
Feet on the ground!
We've got 15 league points from 3 games. BUT, we have beaten the team at Castle Grim, a place which is grim, but no-one's idea of a castle for years; a Sale side who lost most of their midfield early on; and a shower who are both winless and drawless.
There will be sterner challenges ahead.
Yup, I have to agree with you TT.
Early days; the best we can hope for at present is no injuries and the team remaining focussed.
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
What? It seems like only yesterday that Kyran was buying beers at Heywood Rd. (the former home of Sale Sharks, for the benefit of our younger readers) for the few of us who made it up to the frozen north. We were absurdly loud in our support for such a small band, and he came into the bar to reward us! It can't be 20 years ago, can it?
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:10:09:14:17:26 by TonyTaff.
Quote:AlanE2
TT - was that when the M6 was traffic-jammed? Oh hang on.....
Aye, I deployed a cunning plan: I stayed in Yorkshire, and took the M62 😁 The usual jams thereon had abated after 6pm. The late Mrs Taff MkII (aka Alcatraz fez) drove us back. She learnt the laws of rugby standing in the Jim Birtles Stand - the locals would criticise the ref, and I would explain to her what the ref had actually given and what the laws actually said. I wasn't always popular with the Mancunians standing near me. 🤣
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
Quote:Speak up, I can't hear you! It can't be the traffic noise, there isn't any 🤣AlanE2
.
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
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