Boy of the Match

By King Zak
September 30 2014

Sarries extended their unbeaten start to the season with a comfortable victory over a rather lack-lustre Sale side at a sunny AllianzPark on Saturday. Yet, in keeping with most of their performances this season (the notable exception being Harlequins away), I was left feeling that they had rarely gone much beyond second gear. That’s probably quite disturbing for most other teams in the Aviva Premiership, and along with Bath and Northampton they look to be someway ahead of the rest at this early stage of the season.

As always, it was a pleasure to welcome Dave Seymour back and there was the added delight of seeing Jamie George lead out the team on the occasion of his 100^th appearance for Saracens. An amazing achievement for a very popular player aged just 23! 

Sarries were quickly into their stride and it wasn’t long before Alex Goode was weaving his magic with a mazy 40 metre run through some very poor Sale tackling to touch down under the posts. It was trademark Goode; his ability to seemingly suspend time and motion before gliding through defences is a delight to behold. Hodgson chipped the conversion over and Sarries were on their way. The lead was extended shortly afterwards via a Hodgson penalty and the pattern (for the first half at least) was set. Sarries were not just dominant in the forwards; they pretty much destroyed the Sale eight. The scrummage was so one-sided it was embarrassing – for Sale at least. One can only imagine what Steve Diamond thought!!

 Given this domination, it was perhaps somewhat of a surprise that Sale got their first try of the day through a very powerful rolling maul, covering the best part of 20 metres, Seymour the beneficiary. Cipriani added the conversion but was off target moments later with a drop goal attempt from 30 metres out. ‘Cipriani Watch’ is always interesting and provokes much discussion (in E2 at least!). He is arguably the most naturally gifted fly-half England has, but as epitomised yesterday, too often fails to impose himself on a game. Having seen the havoc London Irish created last week with their short kicking game, it was a genuine surprise that someone of Cipriani’s ability did not employ the same tactic.

 As the fist half wore on, so Sarries forward dominance grew. Playing with such strong ‘front foot’ ball, they were able to throw the ball around a-la Harlem Globetrotters. Even the early loss of Barritt through injury did nothing to change their flow. Indeed, the introduction of Nick Tompkins probably created even more running threat. With Taylor switching to inside centre, it was perhaps a glimpse of the future. The open nature of the game was tailor made for Chris Ashton. He was everywhere, popping up in midfield and even creating havoc down the left wing as well as the right. His work rate was phenomenal; his ‘pitch tracker’ must have resembled a spider’s web! 

The other aspect to Ashton’s game that has really developed is his awareness of other players – he is a real team player. It was his vision that brought Sarries their second try of the afternoon. Hodgson, who had added another penalty, sent a stunning 20 yard miss-pass to Ashton.  As he cut inside, he released the overlapping Joubert who was able to crash over in the right corner. Hodgson added the conversion via the near post and Sarries were comfortably ahead 23-7. 

They continued to drive forward, with notable carries from Kruis, Botha, Wray and Gill. Indeed, I would suggest this was the Welshman’s best performance for some long time. He carried well, as he tends to, but his scrummaging was a lot stronger than perhaps we expect – undoubtedly assisted by the presence of the rock that is James Johnston. The third try on the stroke of half-time was just reward for their efforts as Sale were bulldozed off their own put-in and shunted back over the try line before referee J P Doyle awarded a penalty try. The simple conversion gave a half-time score of 30-7; and it really was as easy as the scoreboard suggests. 

Sale changed tactic in the second period and, rather than trying to run round the defensive line, they chose route one – straight up the middle. This finally started to bring some reward for the visitors and it was no surprise when Tom Brady chased his own kick to score Sale’s second try. Their confidence grew even further when, during their next foray forward, Goode was shown the yellow card for ‘killing’ the ball 5 metres from his own line. The correct decision in my opinion as he didn’t just ‘kill’ it, but suffocated the life out of it!! 

However, as so often, it merely spurred Sarries to greater effort. Several line outs in the Sale 22 were eventually rewarded by Richard Barrington diving over from close range. His burgeoning reputation continues to grow and he must surely be a consideration for the Saxons squad to be announced in a couple of weeks time. Hodgson converted and Sarries were 37-12 to the good. 

Sale did manage another try, of the penalty variety, after Kruis was adjudged to have pulled down a maul as it approached the try line. It also earned him a 10 minute rest in the sin bin. Joe Ford (replacement for Cipriani) added the conversion with a quickly taken drop-kick but the final score came from Saracens. 

Seymour was sent to join Kruis on the naughty chair and Goode, who had taken over the No10 role with Ransom replacing Hodgson, added the penalty to give a final score 40-19.

 Tompkins was awarded Man of the Match, and whilst he had played well, I thought Wray and Ashton probably edged him for the honour. Still, 5 more league points and back on top of the pile – for this week at least! 

Final word for the Wolfpack Lager from the Wildman Brewery – very tasty, good luck to Messrs Wyles & Hargreaves with their venture!!!

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode; 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Brad Barritt ©, 11 David Strettle; 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Neil de Kock; 1 Rhys Gill, 2. Jamie George, 3 James Johnston, 4 George Kruis, 5 Mouritz Botha, 6 Jackson Wray, 7 Jacques Burger, 8 Ernst Joubert.

Replacements: 16. Scott Spurling, 17. Richard Barrington, 18. Petrus Du Plessis, 19. Jim Hamilton, 20. Kelly Brown, 21. Richard Wigglesworth, 22. Ben Ransom, 23. Nick Tompkins

Sale Sharks: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Tom Brady, 13 Jonny Leota, 12 Mark Jennings, 11 Tom Arscott, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Chris Cusiter, 1 Alberto de Marchi, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 3 Eifion Lewis Roberts, 4 Jonathan Mills, 5 Michael Paterson, 6 Magnus Lund, 7 David Seymour ©, 8 Mark Easter

Replacements: 16 Cameron Neild, 17 Ross Harrison, 18 Vadim Cobilas, 19 Josh Beaumont, 20 Viliami Fahiki, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Joe Ford, 23 Andy Forsyth

Referee: J P Doyle

Attendance: 8,451