365 Sporting Days

Premiership Rugby returned after a break for the Premiership Rugby Cup to be played, Saracens booked themselves a place in the final against a rampant Northampton Saints team on March 17th.

The international window has been a nervous time for Saracens fans in recent years, they face Tigers at home, Gloucester away, Saints at home, Bath away in the Premiership while the 6 Nations is ongoing.

This Saracens line up was however a good mix of young and experienced players

1. Richard Barrington
2. Christopher Tolofua
3. Vincent Kock
4. Nick Isiekwe
5. Dominic Day
6. Calum Clarke
7. Ben Earl
8. Jackson Wray
9. Richard Wigglesworth
10. Alex Goode
11. Alex Lewington
12. Brad Barritt
13. Alex Lozowski
14. David Strettle
15. Matt Gallagher

The youngest player in that line up is actually Nick Isiekwe, he’s still only 20, which is quite remarkable, he’s Enormous! Ben Earl at just 21 has really come into his own this season and Matt Gallagher, son of a World Cup Winning All Black, is just 22, he took over from Alex Goode at Full Back and hardly put a foot wrong, putting in a Man of the Match performance.

George Worth at Full Back for Tigers another 22 year old also had a great game and gave me probably my best photo for the match!

This was a game of 2 halves, as all rugby games are of course, but it was a game of 2 halves score wise. Saracens had the better of the territory in the first half with 53/47, possession was however 50/50. Both teams scored a good try, with Wigglesworth getting the first of the match, which wasn’t converted before Jonah Holmes ran in a lovely try, which was. With a penalty added to Tigers score they went in leading at half time with the score on Saracens 5 Leicester Tigers 10.

I now sit in the West Stand and have got to know my fellow fans, we did have to laugh at Lawrence Dallaglio, I’m surprised he needs to use a Mic, he literally shouts his commentary, we can hear every word! Including his comment when Alex Goode made a great run, apparently made possible by one of his colleagues blocking a Tiger! He finds it really hard to give credit to Saracens.

Those nerves were starting to rumble, with Saracens trailing, but then that game of 2 halves thing kicked in. The Saracens bench was a strong one, with the likes of Mike Rhodes, a fans favourite and Will Skelton joining the fray. Tom Woolstencroft replaced Tolofua who hadn’t had the best half line out wise.

a try apiece for Woolsencroft, Ben Spencer and David Strettle saw Saracens take a bonus point win, Tigers failed to score a point in the second half. The score finished on Saracens 33 Tigers 10, that moved Saracens back to the top of the table after Gloucester beat Exeter Chiefs in the first game of the weekend. Saracens head to Kingsholm for Gloucster’s second Friday night game with one of the teams heading the table, always a challenge it’s bound to be a tough task for Saracens.