365 Sporting Days

After 20 matches were played Saracens had won 15 and Sale Sharks 14, to finish top and second respectively. It feels right that they contested the showpiece final. This would be the best attack against the best defence, Saracens scored 622 points (conceding 513) Sales Sharks conceded 35 (scored 576). The idea that Saracens still play boring rugby is proven to be unlikely by their 13 Try Bonus points, meaning they only failed to score 5 tries in 7 of their 20 games, not so boring!

This was the first of the finals Saracens had featured in that I didn’t attend since I’d had my first season ticket in the 2009-10 season. I’d made that decision early on, I could see myself getting into heated discussions with the neutrals.many of whom I felt would throw the sort of hatred towards the team I support that I see online. So. TV rugby it would be!

A quick look at recent results between the two teams – They’re quite even in recent years it has to be said.

• 2020-2021
  • Sale Sharks 24 Saracens 17
  • Saracens 36 Sale Sharks 22
• 2021-2022
  • Sale Sharks 12 Saracens 18
  • Saracens 25 Sale Sharks 14
• 2022- 2023
  • Sale Sharks 35 Saracens 24
  • Saracens 33 Sale Sharks 22

One of my biggest wishes for any big game, especially a final, is that the officials aren’t a talking point after the 80 minutes, there’s one name that’s prompted a lot of discussion throughout the season, with the criticism not always being fair. Happily an Assistant Referee doesn’t have a massive influence.

• Referee: Luke Pearce.
• Assistant referees: Karl Dickson and Christophe Ridley.
• TMO: Tom Foley.

Writing about the game after the fact, I plan on giving a general impression, let’s see how that goes!

I was expecting and hoping for a close game, and while I hoped Saracens would win I also knew what a Sale win would do for rugby union in the North. Saracens compete with football, theatre, Quins and many other distractions in London, Sale are in the heart of rugby league country as well as close to some of the best and biggest rugby clubs. Getting crowds interested can be a struggle for both. Most Saracens fans also have a soft spot fort Alex Sanderson and I was lucky enough to interview Mike Forshaw, a rugby league legend and Sale coach, a couple of years ago. So it really was a case of – May the Best Team Win!

This was billed as the clash of Ford and Farrell in some quarters and the air exchanged a couple of penalties apiece early on. Saracens lost Jamie George to a head injury on 10 minutes, he went into a tackle, ball in hand with his head down, and looked in some trouble. After the ‘debacle’ oh his HIA at Edinburgh earlier in the season it was a relief in many ways that he didn’t return this time. That brought Theo Dan into the fray, the 22 year old has made himself known to Saracens fans this season and he definitely made himself known to the wider audience in this final.

Having won a scrum penalty early on Saracens then came a cropper several ti9mes, on both sides of the scrum, they were probably lucky the referee didn’t lose patience with their front row. Farrell had converted 2 penalties when a scrum was called after the referee got in the way of Maro Itoje as Saracens aimed to move away from their own half. The scrum went the way of a couple of others and resulted in a Sale penalty and 3 points for George Ford.

Sean Maitland’s contractual situation was unknown as Saracens played their semi-final against Saints, he had a great game, after an initial incident, scoring 2 tries, the announcement of a contract extension came during the week after the match. Sadly his final came to a halt on 20 minutes when he contested a high ball, with Tom Roebuck, both suffered its they clashed knees, but Maitland’s match was over and he was later walking with a crutch. His replacement was Elliot Daly, not long returned from his own long term injury, he didn’t bring much game time with him.

The game was stopped as 2 protestors came onto the pitch throwing what looked like orange dye, the cameras panned away, rightly so, but both men were soon removed, with one tackled to the floor. An annoying stoppage to say the least! Questions will be asked about how they managed to not only access the pitch but to bring the dye/paint into the stadium.

The restart was via a scrum, with a Saracens put in as they’d been on possession of the ball, this scrum was completed (hallelujah!) and Ben Earl stormed away from the base, Alex Goode took a pass from Earl who kick the ball through for Max Malins, a couple of Sale defenders made a mess of things and Malins looked to be in, but Tom Curry tackled him without the ball and a penalty try and yellow card were awarded.

Unusually Ford missed a penalty a few minutes later, but yet another scrum penalty in favour of Sale gave them good position and they made the most of it.with a try for Akker van Der Merwe, the team with one of their key players in the bin got over the line. The initial thought was held up, but and given as No Try, but the TMO found the evidence to award the try. Ford added the extras and the scored were 13 apiece.

Max Malins of off/back to Bristol Bears for the 2023/24 season and he was obviously keen to sign off his Saracens career in style, A massive kick from Daly to the Sale line saw Saracens attack the Sale line, playing on with a penalty in Theo locker the ball found its way to Goode, via Nick Tompkins, Goode span round to avoid the tackler and passed out to Farrell who delayed just long enough to put Malins through. The teams went in at half-time with the scored on Saracens 20 Sale Sharks 13.

Sale had the first say in the second half through Roebuck, after a spell of kick tennis Saracens battered their way out of their own half before Sale won the ball back. Saracens knocked the ball on and van Der Merwe, a Hooker note, put in a lovely little kick into the in goal area, Roebuck leapt on the ball after Daly made a bit of a mess of things to score an excellent try! Ford missed this conversion, leaving Saracens with a 2 point lead.

Saracens looked to have scored through Daly a couple pop minutes later after a lovely break from Dan, the Hookers were on fire! Daly was ready and waiting for the ball on the wing, but his foot was shaving the tick line when he took a pass from Farrell, the try, initially awarded was rightly wiped off. Saracens closed the gap with a penalty 2 minutes later however.

Bevan Rodd who’d come on as a substitute on 45 minutes was next on the scoresheet, Tom Curry took a lovely pass high out one the wing and Rodd used all of his strength to go through 2 Saracens defenders, that was his 3rd touch in the try, some impact! The conversion was good and Sale had a lead of 2 on 52 minutes.

Saracens weathered a couple of storms before Daly did get his name on the score sheet. A stolen line out, courtesy of Nick Isiekwe, saw the ball kicked into Sale territory with the attempted return charged down by Duncan Taylor, Saracens won the ball back and Isiekwe passed the ball out to Daly on the wing who made no mistake this time, he leapt over the line to score. A major contribution from Taylor in his final game. The conversion was missed but Saracens had a 3 point lead with a little over 13 minutes remaining.

This game was by no means over and `Sale went on the attack again, the ball was lost and kicked into the Sale half by Ivan Van Zyl. Tom O’Flaherty sliced the return giving Saracens a line out in a good position. Aled Davies was ready to come on to replace van Zyl but the change wasn’t made, which was ultimately fortunate as the scrum half took the ball over the Sale line. In a similar situation the the first half try for Sale the referee deemed held up, but asked van Zyl if he thought he’d scored, the same question he asked van Der Merwe. Watching on BT Sport this afternoon Austin Healey though try, on ITV David Flatman thought held up. The TMO’s decision was try. the scrum half signing off what’s been a great season for him personally. Of course very one other than Saracens and booed that one, including major boo’s when Farrell was kicking. As if that would bother any kicker, he added the extras.

Despite their best efforts Sale didn’t add to their score and the final result was Saracens 35 Sale Sharks 25. A Sixth Premiership trophy for Saracens both teams played their part in what was a game worthy of a final. The Premiership has been in something of a crisis during the season and it seems that we could be losing London Irish to add to the awful loss of Worcester and Wasps. this game was a welcome tonic.

A mention for a 50/22 kick from Theo Dan (Hooker) on 75 minutes, it was outrageous, there’s a lot more to come from the young Saracens player. There will, no doubt, be a lot more to come from this Saracens team too. On the day, the best team did win however.