Sarries go back to where it all began.....

How he looked in '96
By Jason Harris
October 26 2006

Saracens return to Narbonne this weekend after a nine year absence to take them on once again in Round two of the 2006-07 European Challenge Cup. The Sarries squad that travels to the south of France features a player who was part of that very first Sarries game in Europe, nearly a decade ago.

Kris Chesney probably won't like to be reminded that he played at Parc des Sports et de l'Amitie on Sunday 7 September 1997, but he was out there on the right wing in a team featuring the likes of Philippe Sella, Paul Wallace, Tony Copsey, Francois Pienaar and the only other survivor of that match still at the club, Richard Hill.

The game itself, the first in Pool 8 of the then-named European Conference, was a tight one in which only one try was scored, by home centre Patrick Arlettaz, but Sarries left with the two points in the bag (the current system featuring four points for a win and try and losing bonus points wasn't brought into the ECC until last season)as six Andy Lee penalties saw them home 18-16.

In 2006 Chesney has to settle for a place on the bench on this as Alan Gaffney has selected Dave Seymour, Hugh Vyvyan and Ben Skirving as his starting back row with Tom Ryder and captain Simon Raiwalui at lock.

Ryder, in for Iain Fullarton, is one of three changes for the Men in Black with the others being at hooker where Fabio Ongaro, just back from international duty with Italy, displaces Matt Cairns; wing where Tevita Vaikona gets his first start of the season in place of Richard Haughton.

Narbonne's coaching team of Pierre Chadebech and Régis Sonnes rested no fewer than 12 players for the narrow win in Parma last weekend with only prop Gonzole Mololo, hoooker Thibault Algret and fullback Nicolas Nadau remaining from the team that lost at home to Bourgoin the previous week.

Those wholesale changes and the omission of former Toulouse and France no8 Christian Labit entirely from Narbonne's 38-man ECC squad seems to indicate that Messrs. Chadebech and Sonnes are more focused on domestic matters and, in particular, on the club's next Top 14 game; a relegation battle between RCNM and 13th placed Brive.

The Narbonne squad for the Sarries game is a composite of the Top 14 version and the Parma version so there is bound to be some quality on show from the home side. Outside half Cedric Rosalen is at the top of the points scoring table in the French league and they can also call upon the services of one Franck Tournaire - he of France and Leicster Tigers fame, although Nadau is omitted from the matchday 22.

Sarries, of course, will need to take maximum points from all their remaining games if they are in with a realistic chance of being seeded to play a home quarter final, so they will have to not only repeat that win back in '97, but score a few tries in doing so.

Given that Narbonne have one eye on the match the following weekend and that Sarries have given the sign against Bath that a warm, dry pitch will be to their liking if then can win first phase ball, I think that the points - all five on this occasion - are there for the taking.


Saracens Team:

Scarbrough; Ratovou, Sorrell, Johnston, Vaikona; Jakcson, De Kock; Yates, Ongaro, Visagie; Ryder, Raiwalui (c); Vyvyan, Seymour, Skirving
Replacements: Byrne, Liffchak, Fullarton, Chesney, Dickens, Farrell, Penney.


Narbonne Squad:

Forwards - Mololo, Tournaire, Ducalon, Langlade, Rofes, Algret, Uys, Michaux, Eksteen, Haare, Tomiki, Bisaro, Beaux.
Backs - Balue, Seon, Ruiz, Negre-Gauthier, Noutary, Rosalen, Mazars, Benassis, Planté, Candelon.

Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)