Sarries Squeeze Out Bath

Yesterday's game against Bath was a cracker. Saracens were without talismans in their team - Chris Jack has briefly gone back to NZ for a family commitment; Kevin Sorrell will be out for at least another 3 weeks with an ankle injury, and Captain Neil de Kock was pulled from the squad at the last minute to prevent a hamstring injury getting worse if played on, his place taken by Scrum Half Alan Dickens.

But despite facing a formiddable Bath side, the replacements and rest of the Saracens team held their hands (and heads) up to a man. They were strong in the tackles, dominant at the scrum (even scoring a couple against the head, despite being 6Kg lighter than the Bath bruisers). Glen Jackson was on song with the boot, scoring 6 out of 6 attempts at goal. And Brent Russell scored a brace of tries to help the Men In Black to an important 26-20 win.

[Brent Russell (the Pocket Rocket) shows Bath defender Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu a clean pair of heels]

There was plenty of adventurous play from both sides, and some great fast passes out of hand. Plus some big hits as usual!

[Bath hooker Pieter Dixon has trouble heading his way - in the form of two charging Saracens - Kris Chesney and Paul Gustard]

The much-vaunted new Bath signings Butch James [left] and Michael Claassens [right] also took to the pitch. James scored a lovely try in the 25th minute, but in the process dislocated his shoulder and will be out for 6 weeks. Ouch! Claassens was harries well by opposite number Alan Dickens, who has been short of game time for Sarries recently, but played a great match. (You can see more of my match photos here)

There were other casualties during the 80 minute too - temporary Captain Andy Farrell popped a rib and went off; Flanker Dave Seymour sustained a leg injury and forwards Fabio Ongaro and Hugh Vyvyan also took knocks. Due to Six Nations action next week, Saracens next game isn't until 10th February, so there's a few days to get the boys patched up before they face 11th-placed Worcester in Watford.

[Dave Seymour, another of the game's casualties, gets the ball out of a ruck]

Meanwhile, the Sarries coaching staff have made another big signing for next season, back rower Michael Owen [left] who will be leaving the Newport-Gwent Dragons for North London. Home-grown Ben Skirving has also extended his contract with Saracens until 2010. Initially overlooked by Brian Ashton for upcoming England squad, he's now been called up after another injury hit the team - good luck to him over the next few weeks!

Talking of which, the Six Nations is nearly upon us once more. A lot of water under the rugby bridge since the last one. I'm pleased to say I'll be going along to Twickenham for England's first game against Wales next weekend. And I'll be keeping a close eye on the other games too. Expext more posts soon!

Farrell Takes The Field

Andy Farrell finally made his first start in Premiership Rugby Union at the weekend, in Saracens game against London Irish in the EDF Energy Cup (formerly Powergen Cup). Unfortunately, he didn't really set the park on fire - partly perhaps because of the heavy downpours which occurred during the game. Saracens lost 24-36, and never really looked like they were bossing the game. I wasn't too worried to begin with, as we scored a couple of penatlies, and even at 12-12, I thought we were still in with a chance.

But then a couple of silly errors gifted Irish two tries (Richie Rees charged down a clearance kick by Glen Jackson (left) to put the ball down) and it all kind of slid away from them.

I must admit that Dave Seymour looked far more lively when he came on as a replacement for Farrell in the second half - and made an immediate impact with sniping at rucks and making a couple of huge tackles. Obviously, it's early days for Andy, but I do hope he can get into his stride sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, boss Alan Gaffney insists Farrell should stay at Six. And Jeff Probyn wonders if it's too late to teach an old dog new tricks.

Here's a picture of Farrell in Saracens' away colours, talking to Scrum Half Mosese Rauluni during one of the first scrums of the game.

See more pictures from this game.

Sarries face Cardiff Blues next weekend in their next EDF Cup pool game. Scary, as the Blues stuffed Wasps this past weekend. We need to get the home crowd cheering the boys on!

Day Of The Devil?

I've just noticed it's 06/06/06 today, but thankfully so far nothing untoward has happened!

Not a lot to report in the rugby press of late, either online or in the papers. Shame England Saxons (aka England A) lost to Scotland A in the first round of the Churchill Cup, during a deadly damp game in Toronto. If Canada beat Scotland we're still in with a chance of going through to the knockout stages.

Meanwhile, Down Under, England Cap'n Pat Sanderson is singing the praises of Mr Catt (I read in today's Metro sport section). Robbo picks his team tomrrow, and Catt is tipped to pair up with Matthew Tait in the Centre for Saturday's game against the Wallabies. It's two years since Catty played for England, but everyone reckons he's had a cracking season and is at his best yet.

The other tidbit I read on the same page is England Saxons' head coach Jon Callard, raving about Dave Seymour. He says he's a natural No 7 and could be the replacement to Neil Back we've all been waiting for. Certainly, the golden-locked one has usually made a strong impression during his outings for Sarries, so here's hoping he can make the transition up to senior grade rugby swiftly - wouldn't it be great if he got his chance at next year's World Cup? You read it here first!

Here's a picture of Davy Boy eyeing up the opposition during a scrum against Bristol

Best Foot Forward

Is it just me that views the advent of warm, sunny weather with some trepidation?

Why my unease, you may ask? The problem is with feet; other people's feet. You're sitting there on the tube, minding your own business reading the freebie paper, when your eye suddenly glances off the page, and you notice some podiatry horror lurking in someone's sandals. Now I'm no prude, and if a foot fetish is your thing, then you're probably in Hog Heaven during the summer. But for me, I find it can be quite an ordeal being met with such a variety of footsies, the nice or the nasty.

The whole gamut of feet seem to throw off their shackels when the sun comes out, and are crammed into sandals which vary from the sublime to the ridiculous. Small, doll-like feet to huge crusty tramp's feet with yellowing claws attached. You see them all on a London tube in the summer! And I'm not sure why, but I think showing off your feet in public seems to be very much more initimate and personal than wearing full shoes. Probably because you don't normally get to see feet in the same way we see hands all the time. Some feet are ok if you're prepared for them - say in the swimming bath or at the beach, but I suppose its the unexpected exposure that seems a bit incongruous. I can't imagine a more nightmare-ish occupation than Chiropodist!

Not that we've had much fine weather recently - anyone showing off their feet at the moment is likely to develop webs between their toes. A bit of rain never stopped a barking-mad friend Scottish of mine at University from wearing her favourite (sloppy and very lived-in) sandals. When asked "but don't they let the rain in?" she would invariably reply "yes, but they let it out again too!". She had a fair point, I suppose.

And talking of sandals, what is it with those Nike neoprene ones which have the split between the big toe and the rest? Must be pretty bloody uncomfortable, I reckon. And worse, they make you look like you have some sort of cloven hooves. Seeing as I'm not about to take lots of photos of folks' feet on the tube, here's a picture of someone with rather big hooves to show off, and maintain an oh-so-tenuous link with this blog's theme - Sarrie the Camel, Saracens' mascot! He's showing off Dave Seymour's Commonwealth Silver Medal, which he won during the Sevens tournament at the games.