Saracens
NOBODY'S GONNA RAIN ON OUR PARADE!
Credit Daniel Davis
By The Saracens
February 15 2022
Arriving at StoneX today under leaden skies and a howling gale there is only 1 song in my heart “Why Does It Always Rain On Me”? Of course it doesn’t, but sitting in the front row of the east stand it just feels like it. Oh Rihanna, a Bajan national hero, where is my Umbrella? After all you don’t need it. I get the feeling a Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall today. And pretty soon, sure enough, before the Sound of Thunder and the appearance of the men in black, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head. Out with the waterproofs but oh boy this is gonna be a soggy match report.
We’re in for Stormy Weather. It looks like Quins have won the toss and opted to play with the Wind Beneath Their Wings in the first half as Manu kicks off. His kick hangs in the strong south westerly and only just clears the 10m line. On any other pitch this would be an “up the jumper” day but on days like this, Rainy Days and Sundays, the 5G comes into its own and at least we can hope for some running rugby to help us Make It Through The Rain.
Good work from Theo and Sean but Ben Earl can’t hang on to the pass and an early chance goes begging but Sarries have a penalty to touch. Sarries knock on from the lineout but the Sarries pack are immense from the Quins scrum and win another penalty. Something that we will see many times today. It’s kickable but Manu plonks it in the corner. The maul goes well and the backs join in (It’s Raining Men) but it is the mighty bulk of Don Morris which makes the difference and over they all go for an early try with Woolfie coming up with the ball. Loz’s touchline conversion is cruelly grabbed by the wind so it’s just the 5 points.
Sarries attack again from the restart with Dom collecting a loose ball & carrying the ball to within 5m but he doesn’t offload to Maitland who would have been in for a try. The ball is recycled but Alex Goode out foxes everyone with his delayed pass, Koch and Loz get in each other’s way and drop the ball when Segun was in the clear outside them and another try goes begging. Quins escape a 5m scrum when Sarries are penalised for early engagement and clear. Next thing we know Van Zyl is on his own in the Quins’ half with Theo outside him. Theo touches down but it’s Raining In His Heart and he knows the try won’t stand because Luke Pearce has noticed an obstruction. Esterhuizen goes for goal from inside his own half but even with the help of the wind the kick is Blowing in the Wind and well short.
Quins have a good period of possession, a nice break from Sarrie-to-be Tizard and a try saving tackle from Segun on Murley. Sarries eventually win the scrum with Hunter-Hill and Manu combining to force a knock-on. More Quins attack but Care is over-optimistic with his kick which goes dead for a Sarries scrum back and the inevitable penalty. Unfortunately Dom concedes another penalty which Tommy Allan puts deep in the Sarries 22. The drive struggles initially but re-forms, White breaks away and Danny Care does what he is still the best in the world at, picks up the ball and dodges left and right then heads straight for the line. An easy conversion for Allan for 5-7. Quins are ahead. It’s raining cats and dogs. The pinky red on the Quins shirts seems to be running in the wet. I Can’t Stand The Rain
Segun makes a nuisance of himself again but it comes to nothing. Another Quins scrum, another Sarries penalty. This is good to see for the men in black especially as Quins have to change their tight head with Louw giving way to Kerrod. Van Zyl unwisely hoists the ball into the wind (which unkindly blows it back to him,) when he had 2 men outside him. A helpful voice behind shouts ‘ keep the flippin’ ball in hand”. We can’t disagree.
More good work from the pack. Segun runs from deep but is stopped. Mr Pearce has his arm out but we don’t need it as Goodey sends the ball out wide to Maitland who scores in the other corner. Poor Loz, another tricky kick into the wind, Any Way the Wind Blows, and this one goes the other way. But we are 10-7 and getting into the Rhythm of the Rain
A huge restart is collected by the wind and ends up almost on the Sarries’ 5m line and Quins are back on the attack. It is noticeable that Sarries aren’t letting Esterhuizen get the ball with Billy hounding him all the way. Walker decides to take on 3 or 4 Sarries with a bit of fisticuffs. Danny Care proves he is human by putting a kick straight out. More Sarries dominance from the maul and another penalty for the home side but a little 1-2 from Billy and Woolfie doesn’t come off. Segun seems to get away with a blatant knock on (or maybe it came off his chest). As we approach half time Van Zyl hoists another kick with equally poor results as it is almost back over his shoulder and hands Quins possession. Why are we trying to kick into a gale? Quins win a penalty from the attack and it’s an easy 3 for Allan to level things. Allen’s kick goes dead from well in his own half. For once Quins’ scrum stays legal but Sarries can’t do much with the ball and the players at least get 15 minutes in the dry! We are generally happy though, if very soggy. Sarries are level and will have the wind behind them in the 2nd half, let’s hope they manage it better than they have in the first half. They could, should even, be ahead and have a TBP secured but for a couple of poor decisions which left at least 2 tries out there but we are quietly confident. Here Comes the Rain Again.
A nice half time touch as Sarrie does a lovely rendition of Singing in the Rain with Kelsey Fitz-Simon who is 21 today. Eat your heart out Gene Kelly.
Quins start the 2nd half well. Maybe the wind has dropped a little or maybe they’re just managing the Rhythm of the Rain better. Van Zyl with the wind behind him now, gets good distance with the box kick and Green helps out even more by treading on the touchline as he tries to take the ball. Segun, Van Zyl & Loz combine well but Theo gets a bit of try-line fever and knocks on. Quins have a good few minutes winning a couple of penalties. Quins bring on Taulani, yet another candidate for bad hair day, for Jurevicius. When you have that sort of hairdo you really do need to live up to it, not something Villiami manages. Sarries win a penalty when the brothers Vunipolae combine. Loz kicks for the posts, landing this one and Sarries take the lead again 13-10. Quins retaliate by bringing on their speedy winger Louis Lynagh for Northmore.
Goode lands a monster to touch then another which Green drops in his 22. Earl gets him out of jail though with a high tackle. Then Manu misses touch with his long penalty towards the 5m line, both well held by Green, not factoring in the westerly vector of the wind. Taulani gives him another chance and he does exactly the same thing again.. to mis quote Oscar Wilde: to do it once may be regarded as misfortune, to do it twice looks like carelessness! Either way it was a disappointing lapse. Manu put in a pretty decent performance last weekend but he is struggling today in the Stormy Weather. Luckily Saracens’ 3rd penalty is kickable and once again Loz shows how it’s done for 16-10.
Lovely defensive play by Billy leads to an apparent Quins knock-on. Mr Pearce says no though – so I guess that makes it quits! Manu makes another error, kicking out on the full and Quins can launch another attack. The wind does seem a little less capricious but Quins have the Wind Beneath Their Wings. Manu grubber kicks the ball ahead deep into the Quins’ 22. Lynagh Runs Like the Wind and beats Segun to the ball then his pace gets him out of trouble as he side-steps 5 tackles and clears. Lewington and Christie replace Segun & Hunter Hill while Edwards replaces Allan for Quins. 15 minutes to go and a slenderish lead, can we Make it Through the Rain? Not if Van Zyl kicks like that and puts the ball straight out! Sarries have struggled to take advantage of the wind in this 2nd half. A big cheer greets the return of Jackson Wray for a rather battered Ben Earl. Quins are struggling to take advantage of a good period of possession mostly in Sarries’ 22. Lynagh continues to look like he might Rain on Sarries’ Parade and wins a kickable penalty for Quins but 3 points aren’t much use and they go for touch. With 5 minutes left Woolfie departs shortly followed by Mako with Ethan Lewis and Barrington coming on instead. It looks like Koch is going to have to play the full 80 though.
Sarries defend well and Maitland seizes on an opportunity, grubber kicking the ball deep. Lewington and Lynagh race for it, Riders on the Storm, with Lynagh just getting his hand down first. It was touch and go though and our Alex showed a good turn of foot. Quins get decent distance on the goal line dropout and once again Sarries head for the Quins 22. A knock-on stops any further progress though. But the Sarries’ pack aren’t having any of it and a huge shove wins them a penalty on the Quins put in. Just over a minute left and Loz uses all of it to land the winning kick and deny Quins the LBP in the process. We do restart but Goodey ends it as soon as the clock goes red. We Made it Through the Rain.
So a win on a wet and windy day. Alex Goode was rock solid under the high ball in very difficult conditions. The forwards were immense, especially the Vunipolae (Mako was the official man of the match) and Woostencroft had one of his best games. Van Zyl and Manu have a lot to learn about managing Stormy Weather. It was also refreshing that we didn’t see whole tranches of replacements until the last couple of minutes when the game was pretty much won. For Quins, love him or hate him, Care remains a class act and if I was Eddie I’d cap Lynagh before he decides he’s actually an Aussie or an Italian. I thought Mr Pearce had a pretty good game, he kept things moving and was clear about his decisions.
Homeward bound to catch up with the England game, a warm bath and a nice glass of Prosecco. Sometimes Rainy days and Sundays can make me glad!
Saracens:-
Goode, Maitland, Lozowski, Morris (Hallett), Segun (Lewington) Manu Vunipola, Van Zyl (de Haas); Mako Vunipola (Barrington), Woolstencroft (Lewis) Koch, Hunter-Hill (Christie), Swinson, McFarland, Earl (Wray), Billy Vunipola
Harlequins:-
Green, Beard, Northmore (Lynagh), Esterhuizen, Murley, Allan (Edwards), Care; Garcia Botta, Walker, Louw (Kerrod), Symons (Lewies), Tizard, Jurevicius (Taulani), Wallace, White
SCORERS:-
Saracens 19: Tries: Woolstencroft, Maitland; Pens (3) Lozowski
Harlequins (10): Try: Care; Pen: Allan
Referee: Luke Pearce
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Stumbleupon15/02/2022 15:16
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022:03:06:20:05:55 by Darraghgirl.
The owner of the helpful voice gets around - he was behind us in the North stand as well
Quote:maynas
One comment I really agree with you on, the rain under the stand. I’d love to meet the idiot architect who thought putting the roof up so high and not forward towards the pitch was such a good idea. I wonder if anyone who’s tried the West stand can comment on how far back the rain goes?
On my way out from the very dry, very high, back of the West Stand I noticed that about the first 5-6 front rows of the stand were drenched. Glad I wasn't sitting there. Anyone sensible would have moved back pronto.
Quote:jonnybrowne
Excellent report, and spot (sorry) on as always - but you didn’t mention my favourite weather-based song, the Beatles classic “Rain” - also a contender IMHO for the best ever B side.
I think there was far too much Rain already!
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