By No,13
March 19 2007

Saracens did their play-off chances no harm at all after a comfortable 36-5 win at Vicarage Road over a Bristol team shorn of several senior players put them into fourth place in the table, level on points with the visitors and London Wasps. The weather was a bit cold and windy but the sun was shining across half the pitch and the ground was dry and in remarkably good condition. We thought this would be a good day for the sort of open rugby Saracens have been attempting this season and, with Thomas Castaignede back in the starting 15 we had a pretty good feeling about the game. We were not disappointed.

Sarries started well, moving the ball out wide and attacking from deep. If Dan Scarbrough had spotted Thomas on the right wing instead of going inside we might even have had a first try within 10 minutes Bristol launched an early attack but failed to take advantage of a line-out close to Sarries’ line and Glen Jackson failed to kick a penalty he would have kicked with his eyes shut at most other games. But after 10 mins Sarries clearly had the upper hand and the crowd was relaxed, waiting for the tries to come.

The first of two excellent tries by Kameli Ratuvou came after 14 minutes following good runs by Thomas Castaignede and the impressive Census Johnston who got the ball out to Kameli to cross the line. Surprisingly, Glen missed the conversion and we wondered whether the wind was stronger on the pitch than we realised.

The second try came only 3 minutes later when Neil de Kock saw an opportunity on the blind side and when the ball reached Kameli he had the pace to cross the line again. He gave Glen a more difficult job this time but Glen converted with an excellent kick 5-10 metres from the touch-line making it 12 - 0. I can’t recall when I last saw a hattrick at Vicarage Road but Kameli came very close to scoring three tries within less than 10 minutes. Neil de Kock again used the blind side and got the ball to Kameli but unfortunately he got tackled about 10m from the line.

Sarries had dominated the first quarter and they continued to do so for the second. When Bristol did try to move the ball out wide, the Saracens mid-field defence was excellent. On many occasions Bristol were pushed back and back a long way behind the gain line and, in frustration, gave away three penalties which Glen Jackson kicked comfortably, taking the score to 21- 0 with 5 minutes to go to half time.

Try number three looked imminent and Kameli Ratuvou again had a hand in it, chipping the ball over the Bristol defence for Thomas to run onto and score. It was 26 - 0 when the half-time whistle was blown and we had seen some excellent entertaining rugby. Even the referee, Sean Davey, had had a good game !

Sarries came out for the second half showing the same determination and drive we had seen in the first half and after 4 minutes and several phases of attack, Kevin Yates crossed under the posts for Glen Jackson to convert and take the score to 33-0. Four tries, a well earned bonus point, and still 35 minutes to go against the third placed team in the Premiership.

We seemed to ease back and Bristol’s attacks started to look more aggressive, but we did not lose control and still dominated all aspects of the game. Glen Jackson later added the extra three points for Sarries. We didn’t score again and Bristol’s try by Alex Clarke with 14 minutes left on the clock came as a result of some silly errors on Sarries’ part but it was not to lead to an opening of the gates for Bristol who, frankly, will be relieved to have avoided a whitewash.

David Seymour came on to great cheers with about 20 min to go. Other substitutions followed later but, as often happens, their introduction was not particularly beneficial to the team. To my mind these late changes often disrupt the pattern of play the starting 15 have settled into and spoil the continuity of the occasion for spectators.

There were some very positive things to take from this game. The forwards looked really cohesive. They defended the few rolling mauls Bristol attempted, they tackled very effectively around the fringes of the rucks, and they controlled the scrum and line-outs, frequently disrupting the Bristol throw. The backs all seemed totally comfortable throwing the ball around and had the confidence to go for a gap when they saw one. The defence was superb. Cencus Johnston was very impressive. He is much faster around the field than I expected and will be an excellent ball carrier for us as well as a strong scrummager. He even raced back to clear up a Bristol kick-through, getting to the ball well before the Bristol three quarters. Neil de Kock and Glen Jackson must be the best half back pairing this side of the Severn Bridge and Thomas Castaignede is, well, still Thomas Castaignede.

This year Bristol have shown us all what a first rate club they are. They did not give in today – we simply dominated everywhere. They may be competing with us for a play-off place but as someone close to me said today, “I wish we weren’t doing this to Bristol…. Quins or Tigers, yes, …”

Scorers: Saracens: Tries: Ratuvou (15min, 17), Castaignãde (40), Yates (44). Conversions: Jackson 2. Penalty goals: Jackson 4 (27, 30, 35, 62).

Bristol: Try: Clarke (66).

Scoring sequence (Saracens first): 5-0, 12-0, 15-0, 18-0, 21-0, 26-0 (h-t), 33-0, 36-0, 36-5.

Saracens: T Castaignãde (rep: T de Veida, 71); D Scarbrough, R Penney, K Sorrell, K Ratuvou; G Jackson (rep: R Laidlaw, 74), N de Kock (rep: M Rauluni, 71); K Yates (rep: N Lloyd, 71), S Byrne (rep: M Cairns, 74), C Johnston, I Fullarton, S Raiwalui, K Chesney (rep: H Vyvian, 64), R Hill (rep: D Seymour, 59), B Skirving.

Bristol: B Stortoni; L Robinson, N Brew, S Cox, C Morgan; J Strange (rep: D Gray, 62), G Nicholls; A Clarke, S Linklater (rep: D Blaney, 62), D Crompton (rep: W Thompson, 62), M Sambucetti, S Hohneck, N Budgett, J El Abd (rep: R Pennycook, 62), A Blowers.

Referee: S Davey.

Attendance: 7,737.