By Tim (ex-girlie back)
February 19 2007

This was a match of T’s. Tense, tight, regrettably for most of it turgid, plenty of turn-overs, cynical time-wasting, but it had a terrific end, suitably finished by TMC, and ultimately a post-match tantrum. A gnarled, (mostly) experienced and formidable Gloucester pack came calling to Vicarage Road, I don’t think other than one Morgan run they bought their backs with them. Frankly they didn’t need them, or forgot they were there. Much of the second half was 10-man rugby at its worst, up the jumper; aided by a dithering referee, the visitors out-muscled the Sarries pack. Ryan’s game plan was clearly to get into position, work the (inexperienced) referee for penalties, and let Ludo kick them to victory. It nearly worked. Huge tranches of time were eaten up by tactical injuries, non-moving mauls (that a more experienced referee would have penalised), and slow throwing in at line-outs.

From the kick-off Sarries set-up camp in the Gloucester half, and stayed there. After 6 minutes a ball off-the-top of a line out was swiftly spun wide. A great cut-out pass from Jackson, missing Faz and Kev (who were drawing defenders like pigs to a trough with their runs) found Scabs in the line, swiftly onto Tomas de Vedia (over from his left wing) who slipped it to Ratty to roar over the line. It was a moment of pure rugby quality, fabulous back play and finishing. 5-0 to Sarries. Glenda missed the kick, but no-one was bothered. Against Irish those chances got dropped or went into touch, today after 6 minutes it looked like we had the measure of 3rd-placed Gloucester, making them look distinctly 3rd -rate. Indeed, with 9 minutes played Glenda had hit a penalty after the backs had returned the ball with interest from a kick-up field, and it was 8-0. Time to put the feet up and wait for the 5-point result.

What followed was (unfortunately for Sarries and the crowd) a completely different match. From the kick off Gloucester put Sarries under pressure near their own line, resulting in a defensive Sarries line-out 10m out. A very poor overthrow by Fabio, he was closer to Ratty on the right wing than any of his jumpers, saw Gloucester snaffle the ball, pass it through a couple of forward phases, before Sarries defence froze, everyone literally stopped, and Brown dove over. Perhaps the referee said something? Ludo converted = 8-7.

A number of passages of play followed, Sarries trying to move the ball in the backs, making good yards, with Jackson and Scabs to the fore, but then ruining it with turnovers against a resilient Gloucester defence. One thrust saw Kev at full speed charge through Allen, who remained prone and groggy for several minutes, and he eventually left the field. This injury wasn’t tactical, let’s hope he’s fit again soon.

Anyway, the Massey Ferguson tractor had started to find its gears by this stage, and both sides were making ground, Sarries through their incisive backs, Gloucester through the trundling forwards. Both sides were also giving away penalties, and Glenda and Ludo were trading kicks. Trouble was Glenda was missing. At one point he was 1 from 4, and 8 points went begging. Ludo gave the Cherries and Whites a half-time lead of 11-13, but it by this time the match was degenerating. Only two notable incidents occurred:

• There was some hand-bags between the front rows following a halfway line scrum, with (predictably) Mr Yates in the middle of it;
• Forrester was sin-binned for various offences at one ruck including: offside; intentional grounding; interfering with the scrum-half; ….

Ryan’s game-plan of dragging Saracens into a forward dominated slugfest had started to bear fruit, and Gloucester were in the lead.

And nothing changed in the second half, except Gloucester stuffed the ball even further up their jumpers. This is a fair enough tactic, we’ve done it plenty of times, and it was working really well. It caused Fabio to transgress close to the line for which he was binned, and Ludo kept kicking the penalties. But Sarries weren’t giving up, and the backs were clearly superior, with Ratty terrorising Bailey every time he got the ball.

After 20 minutes of the second half Gloucester made a couple of forward changes. Califano, Azam, and James off, on came Wood, Davies and Bortolami. Ryan’s script remained the same, and my 9-year old daughter was complaining it was boring – amongst some other unrepeatable things. Gloucester started eating up time with non-moving mauls (I swear one maul didn’t move for over a minute); tactical injuries – notably the limp-wristed Forrester who insisted on standing in the middle of an attacking Sarries line-out to have the physio on. Neither of these incidents would have been tolerated by a more assertive and experienced referee, who had no idea what the phrase “Time off” meant. I reckon we saw little more than 20 minutes of play in the second half. But Ryan’s tactics and the Gloucester mauling tractor was working for them. Ludo and Glenda traded a few more penalties, and going into the final couple of minutes it was 17-22.

Now a year ago Saracens would have lost this game, and not even secured a bonus losing point, but there is belief and determination there now. For the last 4 minutes Saracens battered the Gloucester defence, only to keep coughing up the ball on turnovers. Jake Boer seemed to be everywhere, thieving ball at the break-down regularly. Gloucester then booted it back to Sarries, who ran it back and duly turned it over, and the pattern continued. At one point Sarries were 5m off their goal line. If Gloucester had at this point got a turnover, created a solid rolling maul and stood still for 2 minutes, the referee would have allowed it, and they’d have won. But they kept hoofing it back.

Field position then decisively changed. A Mercier clearance kick went straight out (it was subsequently, and contentiously, claimed that the referee should have been playing advantage, and not have deemed it to be over – see below). A Sarries lineout on the Glos 22, and the subsequent phases, benefited from the extent to which Glos had utilised their forward replacements – four had been named and used before Forrester departed, leaving a hapless John Goodridge to join the pack.

Finally, after about the fifth attempt at running it back into the red wall, Sarries created more than 3 or 4 continuous phases, switching the ball from one side to the other. De Kock behind the rucks was brilliant, controlling and bossing proceedings. With the clock expiring the ball came wide left, the defence was stretched and, in front of the Rous, TMC barrelled over the line. Scores level at 22-22, and the 8,500 crowd went absolutely berserk.

Glenda, who’d not been kicking well (by his high standards), had a chance to win it. To be fair, he had not missed a kick in the second half, and, 5m in from touch, he nailed it. Final whistle 24-22. More euphoric ecstasy. We’d beaten Gloucester.

Post-match the BBC reported a petulant tantrum from Dean Ryan, sour grapes and a poor loser. (It will be interesting to see whether Mr Debney deploys a thicker skin than Mr Leyshon did with Rod Kafer, though Ryan will be lucky to escape censure for his outburst, even if the ref does not file any criticism). Gloucester could, even should, have won, but he should not be cross with a fairly inadequate referee, (who at times seemed to have invented the new offence of ‘wearing a black shirt’), but with his players who forgot to follow his game plan to the bitter end. Part of which was the tactic of dreadful time-wasting, which ultimately bit him in the backside, as they didn’t have time to march the ball downfield for another Ludo penalty after Glenda’s final, beautiful strike.

Two footnotes:
1. The cover of the programme had TMC on it. Very fitting for the match winner and a guy who never gives less than 100%. But has the photographer airbrushed his ears? They look fairly normal. They look a lot worse on the pitch.
2. I’m going to miss the Sale home game. Why? Because I’m climbing Kilimanjaro on behalf of Barnardo’s. If you enjoyed this report, or my earlier ‘one-eyed’ Leicester report please visit the website: www.justgiving.com/tim-wood I’m back (I hope) to do the Newcastle away game in 3 weeks – it’ll be nearly as cold up there!

Saracens Team: Scarbrough; de Vedia; Sorrell; Farrell; Ratuvou; Jackson; de Kock; Yates; Ongaro; Johnson; Fullarton; Rawalui (c); Chesney; Skirving; Hill. Bin: Ongaro. Used reps: Cairns (temporarily for Skirving, whilst Ongaro in bin – Farrell into the back row, when needed); Gustard (for Fullarton, I think, Ed). Not used: Mercey; Ryder; Dickens; Powell; Penney.

Gloucester Team: Morgan; Bailey; Keil; Allen; Foster; Mercier; Lawson; Califano; Azam; Nieto; James; Brown; Buxton; Forrester; Hazell. Bin: Forrester. Reps: Wood (for Califano); Davies (for Azam); Bortalami (for James); Boer (for Hazell); Goodridge (for Forrester); Adams (for Allen). Not used: Richards.