365 Sporting Days

Saracens played their last match at The Stonex Stadium on January 27th, a win against Exeter Chiefs. March saw a big win against Harlequins at the Spurs Stadium and a loss against a very good Northampton Saints away. Gloucester sitting in 9th are playing in the Challenge Cup Semi-Final on May 4th and therefore picked a less experience team than might be expected. Saracens did something very similar for the match at Kingsholm in June 2022 and as a result were thumped! I was at that match and was disappointed to see my team roundly beaten having travelled so far, so couldn’t help but feel happy that the travelling Gloucester fans saw their team score 4 tries in this match.

The Saracens team was one of the stronger sides picked this season and the first half reflected that, Tom Parton starting on the wing had the best of starts, he scored 3 tries in the space of 15 minutes, the quicket Premiership hat-trick, a record previously held by David Strettle. Alex Goode hadn’t had the best of games in Bordeaux, but back at 15 he was his mercurial best in the frist half, he and Owen Farrell combined to get the pass out to Parton for his first 2 tries, Farrell converted both. Both had come from attacking line outs on the far side of the pitch, several Forwards had taken the ball into contact. A perfect pass from Aled Davies from the back of the maul put him in for the hat-trick try. The conversion went wide for the 3rd try.

It looked like Saracens had scored a 4th on around the 30 minute mark, but the TMO, who was very active in this game, had spotted the ball bouncing forwards before it was grounded. The Saracens team had all walked back into their own half, rather than have them walk all the way back Farrell took the 3 on offer. That made it Saracens 22 Gloucester Nil on 31 minutes. The teams went in at half-time with that scoreline.

Theo McFarland showed his basketball skills early in the 2nd half as Farrell put in a high cross field kick, McGarland plucked it out of the air and ran in to score, it did look as if he may not have got the ball down in time, but the TMO check showed he had. The conversion was delayed as the officials went back to look at a high/no arms tackle made by Albert Tuisue on Rotimi Segun. I’m not convinced they’d have looked at it had Segun not gone down for some medical attention, but look at it they did and Tuisue was shown a yellow card. The conversion missed.

Saracens replaced their Front Row on 51 minutes and Tom Parton was replaced by Ollie Hartley. That saw Lucio Cinti go out to the wing and Hartley take his place in the Centre. he’s looked a very decent player this season, it’s a surprise he hasn’t had more game time. Especially considering how many minutes of rugby poor Nick Tompkins has played this season.

All 3 of Parton’s try’s had come after an attacking line out and another such saw Tom Willis go over the line with ball in hand, the conversion missed and Farrell was substituted for Manu Vunipola. Goode kicked off after the try but Vunipola seemed to slot into 10 other than that.

Gloucester’s first try saw replacement Hooker Seb Blake kick the ball ahead after it’d gone across the Gloucester line, it was a perfect bounce for Josh Hathaway and probably the best try of the afternoon. George Barton, who was instrumental in Gloucester’s win in the Prem Cup at Stonex earlier in the season, was playing at 15 , he took, and missed the conversion.

Saracens were next on the scoreboard after a lovely break from Manu Vunipola saw hime make an inside pass to Ollie Hartley who scored under the posts. Vunipola added the extras. Vunipola and Hartley combined to get the ball out to Cinti on teh wing for Saracens 7th try, a difficult conversion was successfully kicked by Manu V. The score was Saracens 46 Gloucester 5 with 13 minutes remaining.

The last 13 minutes were all about Gloucester as Hathaway scored after kicking through a loose ball, he then intercepted a pass from Hartley and ran in to score his hat trick try, that all happened in 13 minutes. Seb Blake who’d made Hathaway’s first try got his own to give Gloucester the bonus point try, he was on the shoulder of Freddie Thomas as the pair went through untroubled by defenders. the conversion was scored by Charlie Atkinson.

With the clock past the 80 minutes Saracens chose to try to play the ball out rather than kicking the ball out, the end result was an injury to Hartley that saw him taken off by stretcher in need if gas and air, poor decision making with the match won, that led to what looks a serious injury.

The final score was Saracens 46 Gloucester 24 and Saracens moved into 2nd before Bath won their match at Exeter. There is all still to play for at the top of the Premiership table.