Saracens 24 Northampton Saints 17

Saracens cleared their first major hurdle in a series of tough games as they sought to regroup after an opening defeat to London Irish. There is plenty of history with Northampton, and Saracens fans need no briefing on it. Nonetheless, the present reality is that these two teams are likely to be fighting the same battle for a higher position in the top four, Northampton were unbeaten going into this game and Saracens needed to keep in touch with Leicester next up.

Lucky then, that Derick Hougaard had brought his kicking boots and much of the initial rustiness had worn off. In wet and windy conditions, Saracens recovered from a high-pressure first quarter to race into a half-time lead that they never surrendered. Furthermore, in a difficult test in the scrum and lineout, Sarries just about edged it, also putting in a proud defensive performance and a composed second half that put the pressure on Northampton. I’ll even go so far as to say that the 8,500 crowd as near as drowned out ‘Oh When the Saints’.

The game started as it would continue, testily and error-prone. After some brief handbags, Sarries had conceded a scrum. Soane Tongahuia, for the most part nothing special, got the better of Carlos Nieto, and Geraghty converted the penalty. Nonetheless, the Saracens scrum got revenge a moment later, winning a penalty in Hougaard’s range.

The Saints then enjoyed a period of dominance, which should have resulted in more than their six points. A clever kicking game exploited Nils Mordt, who in truth had an awful game under the high ball. After ten minutes, Mordt went up to take a high ball and appeared to have it under control, but the ball spilled out from the breakdown and Northampton won the ball on the Saracens line. Although they won a penalty advantage, Geraghty took the ball wide with a two-man overlap but elected to grubber kick instead of passing. Reihana was close to collecting five points but dropped the ball over the line.

Both Hougaard and de Kock were charged down in the first twenty minutes, almost resulting in a try for Northampton, but instead Geraghty inched his team ahead with two more kicks out of a possible four as the Saracens scrum creaked and Reynecke’s throwing into the lineout was erratic. The game then turned sharply, as Saracens won a penalty from the restart and clawed back the deficit. Possession and quick ball allowed Saracens to mount an attack but after only a few phases Hougaard dropped back and snapped a drop goal from out wide and near the half way line to keep the momentum.

Saints then lost a man in Calum Clark, when the flanker was binned for coming in at the side. In the interests of balance, the ball could be argued to have been out of the ruck, but Saints had been warned and their transgressions cost them six points, from the penalty that came with the initial offence and another a few moments later. It then took a brave Ben Foden to calmly clear his lines with Jacques Burger bearing down on him at pace. At 15-9, Saracens had put what passes for daylight in this season of hard fought Premiership matches and autumnal conditions between them and their opponents, but Geraghty was able to restore some balance before half time.

In the second half, Saracens exercised considerable control of the game to push ahead, but would have been unlikely to do so without two inspired substitutions. Tagicakibau replaced Mordt, allowing Chris Wyles to drop back to full back. Wyles is like a guided missile with the ball as his target and steadied the nerves and possession. Schalk Brits also came on for Etienne Reynecke and surprised everyone not with his usual elusive running, but by throwing into the lineout perfectly and following the ball on the ground like a normal hooker.

Hougaard was able to keep the scoreboard ticking over and his flawless performance with the boot added to his willingness to take the ball into contact and improved kicking from hand made him man of the match but he owed a great deal to his forwards, who defended doggedly in the loose and the set-piece. One notable scene was a Northampton scrum at which both sides were pushing so hard that it moved sideways, then turned a bit and finally collapsed with Dave Pearson awarding the victory on points to Saracens. Brits emerged from the wreckage several inches shorter.

Saints were barely in the game, with de Kock, then Wigglesworth, Hougaard and even Burger pinning them back with neat kicks to the corner. Geraghty twice kicked out on the full and compounded a torrid twenty minutes with a sin-binning for lying on the ball, leading to Saracens taking a twelve-point lead at 24-12. Strettle also had a chance to score his third try in as many games when he skipped round one player out wide before being tackled two metres short.

The introduction of Stephen Myler seemed to wake Northampton up with ten minutes to go and the Saints began to sniff out chances. Foden was given little quarter but the big old cogs in their front row started lumbering up and Tongahuia began drawing men in, then made a half-break with an offload before Hougaard slammed into Jon Ansbro. Steve Borthwick, who seemed to radiate calmness but marshalled several counter-mauls at lineouts but no challenges, also made a last ditch tackle and interception in this spell of pressure. That pressure told in the end, though. From a lineout, the bodies piled in, first the forwards and then the Saracens backs after the first break. The Saints backs finally stayed straight and a long pass from Reihana sent Paul Diggin over unopposed. Myler took a drop-conversion, suggesting that he was raring to get back to the offensive but as the Saracens back row bore down on Northampton after the restart, Reihana kicked lamely into touch, content with the losing bonus.

Brendan Venter was, unsurprisingly, in a buoyant mood after the match and most Sarries fans felt a special warmth at seeing off such a close rival when the game could easily have drifted the other way. Nonetheless, Leicester and Leister will provide unique challenges in the next couple of weeks and Saracens can ill-afford to be so slow out of the blocks, having shown what they are capable with some momentum behind them. Thankfully, Venter will not want to be so hospitable to Richard Cockerill’s team at Vicarage Road next Sunday.

Leeds 19 Saracens 12

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It now seems just as well that Saracens were on such a roll at the beginning of this season, because if they continue the run of form that has seen them lose five of the last six games they may soon find need to apply to a certain Michael Ashcroft for support in the ‘marginals’. Defeat by Leeds was all the more sickening because the second half was a complete reversal of the first, and the performance worrying because both the scrum and the lineout flailed horribly – leading to a penalty count unfortunately all too-high.

The opening exchanges were not without promise, and there seemed to be a greater commitment to running the ball than we have seen this year. One nice move saw Neil de Kock burst through on a short ball from Brits at the lineout, but he was forced into touch. The first half-hour was confident, if not spell-binding, and it only seemed to matter that Derick Hougaard kept the scoreboard ticking over meticulously.

Leeds were not without adventure, and a break by the wing Fa’afili appeared ominous, but Saracens defence seemed to be equal to it. The momentum began to shift going into the break when Leeds’ formidable front-row began to exert pressure and pick up penalties as a result. Replacement fly-half Joe Ford missed as many as he kicked, meaning Saracens still went in six points up.

After half time the teams traded a couple of early penalties, before the complete disintegration of the Saracens scrum saw them increasingly pinged back. A triple substitution on fifty-three minutes brought little stability (with Rhys Gill penalised in Leeds’ half) before a huge effort from Leeds in front of the Saracens’ posts saw the ball turned over.

Leeds’ confidence grew as Ford began to eat away at the gap and Leigh Hinton counter-attacked. Their swashbuckling forwards finally made room just before the hour for wing Lee Blackett to scoot over from close range, giving them the lead for the first time.

Events began to get farcical when the two hookers were binned for handbags just five minutes later after another collapsed scrum. Saracens were not able to bring on Reynecke and Justin Marshall proved surprisingly underwhelming throwing-in.

The ‘Yorkshire’ fans (a proud race, not as well-know for their even-handedness or respect for authority as for their bitter) delighted at what they saw as an overturning of the referee’s conspiratorial favouritism towards the Londoners in the last quarter, and though not quite satisfied by the man in the middle, they were able to see Ford boot them seven points clear with a Hougaard-esque drop goal.

Saracens attempts to regain the initiative simply faded away in a series of turnovers and knock-ons, not least because of the passionate competitiveness of the Leeds forwards. The visitors had been given a real lesson in both the set-piece and the loose, which was ultimately where the game was won.

Having been a Leeds season ticket holder the last time they were in the premiership – consolation for academic exile from London – it is fair to say that they are a better team than when they were relegated. There is the same old application of the rolling maul, the support of breakthroughs and the determined clearing out of rucks. More accuracy with the boot would have made the margin more like twenty points than the bonus-point saving seven that the game ended with.

There is quality spread more broadly across the pitch, more experience of premiership rugby and today, the opportunity to get off the bottom of the table provided a much stronger motivation to win than in seasons past. Venter’s prediction that they will stay up would not be bad for the league.

But Saracens, with five games of the regular season remaining, seem worried at the prospect of disintegration. Next week’s semi-final could prove cathartic – a chance to rediscover some of the pride and hunger of 2009 and hopefully not a miserable 2010.

Saracens 14 Bath 16

With their fourth loss in the past five league games, Saracens continued a slump as they flopped to defeat in the mud against Bath. The visitors came with a stronger front row and a more confident backline, and edged out victory despite weak kicking from fly-half Ryan Davis. Saracens’ fabled method of kicking to apply pressure broke down. With the ball in the safe hands of Nick Abendenon and Matt Banahan, the ball saw only a very limited amount of light.

All the more infuriating was the brightness with which Saracens started, despite the rain. From the opening kick-off, they collected and drove almost to the line before being turned over. It was a sign of many things to come, but they still went in ahead when Hayden Smith’s dropped lineout fell to Wikus van Heerden. The Saracens captain for the day had his back to the line, and almost fell through the Bath defence who were left scratching their heads.

Their were many other opportunities Sarries could have taken. Hougaard’s kicking from hand did succeed in putting the Bath backs under pressure, and when a Chris Wyles chase succeeded in creating a turnover, Brad Barritt had a perfect opportunity to either go wide or bluster his way through Bath’s unready defence. Instead, he kicked wide and the ball was scrambled out.

After the half time break Saracens became increasingly conservative and it was the scrum half, Neil de Kock, who was the prime suspect. De Kock has been a long-standing servant of the club, but he now has the misfortune to be compared to Justin Marshall, one of the most intelligent readers of the game. De Kock’s box kicks caused Bath little trouble and his passes frequently denied his fly-half a running start, if indeed Hougaard meant to run much. Instead, it seemed that Saracens would go for a drop goal at every opportunity – and unfortunately Hougaard is more of a drop goal fetishist than a specialist.

Saracens were less secure in their set piece than when they started this season. Etthienne Reynecke’s throwing into the lineout improved, but the rain made the jumpers’ jobs considerably more difficult. Still, Steve Borthwick cannot return soon enough. The scrum turned out to be more significant. Without Nieto and Aguero, and facing David Flatman and Duncan Bell, Sarries conceded a penalty try in the second half – bizarrely, because they seemed to be shoving Bath out of play at the final attempt and because Flatman seemed quicker to dip his shoulder. Perhaps the less said the better.

The last twenty minutes were probably shaded in possession and territory by Saracens, but they struggled to make gaps in the Bath defence with such narrow ambitions. When they won a penalty five metres in on the left of the 22-metre line, it was therefore fortuitous. And according to both coaches, Hougaard’s narrow miss meant a fair result. Brad Davis said that the scoreline flattered Saracens, and Brendan Venter – tactically unrepentant as ever – blamed the loss on missing players and set piece weaknesses. The Saracens Director of Rugby may have been strictly correct, but his team failed to play to its strengths and lost as a reult. That will have to change if the early-leaders are to finish the season strongly.

Saracens 36 FCV Rovigo 12

Though autumn is quickly catching up with us and the rugby season is well under-way, the first European game of the season promised something of a fresh start, given that four players were making their debuts. Rovigo may have provided less competition than the Guinness Premiership has in recent weeks, but an only marginally better standard of play. The prospect of a more confident attacking display largely disappeared in a rain-sodden first half, before a series of substitutions gave the second half more adventure and Saracens concluded a four-try win.

Great attention was drawn before the game to one particular debutant – teenager Jake Sharp at fly half. Sharp’s game was assured if nothing else. He slotted an early (read premature, perhaps) drop-goal, another three penalties and a conversion and was declared the official (sentimental) Man of the Match. In fifty minutes that offered little in the way of running rugby, he did at least show a varied kicking game, exploiting the considerable space left behind the Italians, and so nearly set up a try with a neat grubber kick into the corner. In short, a promising, if not perfect performance.

There was never any doubt that Saracens would win, despite being within two scores until relatively late in the game. The first few minutes saw the ball recycled through several phases, before Sharp took the opportunity to drop a goal and settle a few nerves. A few minutes later, and after a mystifying Rovigo penalty that did not go through the posts at all, the Italians’ line was stretched and Kevin Sorrel capped his 299th appearance with a try.

The rest of the half contained few memorable passages of play. Debutant full-back Michael Horak had little chance to counter-attack, but at least kicked fairly assuredly. Likewise scrum half Kevin Barrett, who was little challenged in his first game for the club. Rovigo could do little to cut through the Saracens defence and a series of messy lineouts and scrappy scrums reduced the game to a sluggish pace. Fabio Ongaro’s lineout was weak again, but if the Italian was trying to throw the game, well, he probably would have missed. Nonetheless, Saracens’ ambition was to be applauded. They took several opportunities to kick for the corner, rather than taking the points.

The second half also started brightly. Choosing to go for the corner from a penalty in front of the posts, substitute hooker Ethienne Reynecke (another debut) threw to the middle and from the resulting maul Don Barrell peeled off to dive over unopposed.

That made the score 24-9, which was clearly a relief, though the game was still slow and frustrated in particular by a whistle-happy referee. Indeed, the most entertainment was had from the half-time entertainment, a brass band, playing a few impromptu numbers. The Great Escape was cheered, but their lack of rugby knowledge showed when O when the Saints brought boos of derision.

The introduction of Justin Marshall and Derick Hougaard on fifty minutes allowed Saracens to cut loose considerably. Marshall chased the ball in the way we’ve become accustomed to (maybe he thinks he’s an All Black in our kit) and sped up the distribution of the ball. Meanwhile, Hougaard is proving himself willing to take on contact, and his quick-tap got Rovigo a further penalty for not retreating, which was almost translated into a try.

Hougaard’s cross-field kick from a penalty to Noah Cato, which was deliberately knocked into touch by a defender, earned Sarries a penalty. Captain Michael Owen elected for the scrum and might have been rewarded with a try from the resulting move but his score was disallowed for crossing.

Two more tries sealed the bonus point – the first of the season for Saracens. The first saw Michael Horak pick a direct line from midfield and the second came on behalf of the much-cheered Rod Penney, returning from injury along with Sorrell. Rovigo could only offer another three points and when they prolonged the game by not kicking into touch, it seemed to be more for the sake of form than from any conviction that they could cross the Saracens line.

Saracens will take little from the game, besides the points. Given how closely run Wasps’ game was this weekend and with games against Toulon and Castres to look forward to, that may be no small thing. The impression that this season’s squad has considerable depth has not been dispelled, although it was the regular supersub Marshall who made the team a much better functioning unit. One other finding is of note… replacing the first two syllables in ‘Stand Up for the Saracens’ with Jake Sharp is a neat fit.