By Jason Harris
May 11 2002

Sarries last game of the season is at home to Bristol Shoguns and the Men in Black will want to go out on a high in front of what will be the biggest crowd of the season at Vicarage Road. The Sarries press office said on Friday that over 11,000 tickets had been sold for the game which will decide whether Sarries will avoid the bottom place in the table and with it the "you should have gone down but have been bailed out by England Rugby Ltd" jibes which will come after Rotherham's failed attempt to join the top flight.

Sarries have named the strongest possible squad to take on the free-scoring Westcountrymen and if the weather is to Tim Horan's liking (i.e. warm and sunny) we could be in for a feast of running rugby.

Bristol are also out for the points as their current eighth place in the table will see them making a trip up to Welford Road in the first round of the Zurich Championship. If they can move up one place, they will make sure of avoiding the Tigers until the Twickenham final, should both sides progress that far.

Though, as is the norm nowadays, Sarries will not name their starting 15 until the day of the match, butt the squad of 22 contains such luminaries as Bracken, Hill, Abdel Benazzi, Castaignede, Murray and the usual supporting cast.

Bris can boast a host of international players such as Horan's old mucker Jason Little and Argentinian virtuosos Felipe Contepomi and Gus Pichot. In the forwards there are two former Sarries favourites in Ben Sturnham, now showing the form he showed in his time with the Men in Black and England prop Julian White.

With Wayne Shelford contributing on the training paddock (but not yet confirmed as new coach for 2002/03) it's hoped that Sarries will have cured some of their problems which have seen them concede most points and most tries this season. Bristol haven't done that much better defensively, but their attack has no problems. Wherever the Shoguns go, it seems, there are always a hatful of points.

For the Sarries this will be the end of a VERY long season and so the only prediction I am going to make is that everyone will be relieved come 4.45 on Sunday afternoon, that it's all over.

I sincerely hope that the good weather forecast, the bumper crowd and two sides who will probably go all-out to run the ball will give a game to remember, whatever side comes out on top.

And finally: "go on till you come to the end: then stop." - Lewis Carroll 1832-98: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)