Large's 20 Most Memorable Matches: 10-6
Franciso Leonelli
By Large
May 18 2009
It's true to say that most of the really memorable trips are away from Vicarage Road, particulary those to far-flung or unusual places, and with the exception of no6 in the list, the others are certainly that - with the exception of Bucharest which is most certainly both. If you were at any of these matches, please do share your memories with us.
10. Lydney 0-40 Saracens; Regentsholme, 31 January 1999
Back in the days when we still had David v Goliath cup ties, Saracens drew a tricky one away in the Forest of Dean and it was a memorable day for many reasons.
First, after a stop in a pub a few miles from our destination, the supporters’ bus received a police escort into Regentsholme which was a novel experience.
Next was the reassuring sight of our Nige queuing patiently in the rain and mud with the rest of us waiting to give his £10 ticket to the old geezer on the gate.
The match itself kicked off at 3pm and by 3.01 it had kicked off again, albeit in the “other”sense. The home pack decided to get its retaliation in first and a fractious 80 minutes ensued, although Sarries won with ease.
Most memorable of all was Paddy Johns being on the receiving end of some home hostility, not only from the players, but from an element the local support – some of whom were wearing upturned flower pots painted black and white in homage to the Sarries fez -as the scrap hit the barriers surrounding the pitch. Pricesless.
Chris Hewett describes the match itself better than I ever could, and the link is below, courtesy of Bboonie who dug it out for me.
Team: Johnson; Lea, Constable, Ravenscroft, Daniel; Penaud (capt), Bracken; A Olver, Chuter, Reidy; Johns, Chesney; Pienaar, Hill, Diprose.
Replacements: Grau, Botterman, Ogilvie, Cole, Olsen, Singer, Thirlby.
9. AS Montferrand 26 –10 Saracens; Stade Marcel Michelin, 25 January 2004.
“I know, monsieur, a bottle of Champagne and 13 beers...” said the Eurostar steward when we had ran out of yet another 13 beers and polished off yet another bottle of Champagne.
The intrepid Fez à Treize let the train take the strain for the first leg of this Parker Pen Shield (remember that?) quarter final and paying the extra for first class seats was definitely worthwhile as our train was stuck in Kent for the best part of two hours; meaning that we had complimentary grog while the plebs in standard had to make do with a pay bar and, presumably, long queues.
The weekend got more and more messy, so I shall spare you the details apart from Le Diplomat acquired his nickname after a run-in with a couple of French internationals (ask him next time you see him), I lost my phone (nothing new there, apart from I found it again) and our complexions on the way back Monday afternoon were as green as the French countryside through which we were travelling.
This was one of the truly legendary European trips. So much so I can’t remember a thing about the game itself apart from referee Iain Ramage being the subject of a tirade of verbal from a female Saracens supporter (who shall remain nameless) and the ASM band playing God Save the Queen afterwards. Before insisting I shove a load of pastis down my neck. Ouch.
Scorers: Try - Raiwalui. Coversion Castsignède. Penalty – Castsignède.
Team: Haughton; Cech, Bailey, Johnston, O’Mahony; Castsignède, Williams; Sparks, Ibanez, Broster; Railwalui (c), Codling; Skirving, B.T. Russell, Randell.
Replacements: R.Russell, Marsters, Yandell, Chesney, Bracken, Little, Sorrell
Report: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2004/jan/26/rugbyunion.saracens
8. Saracens 19-10 Ospreys; Vicarage Road, 6 April 2008.
What a day. What a hangover the next day. After being stuffed by what was nearly all of the Welsh team just a couple of weeks before in the Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final, Sarries stunned the Ospreys and the entire rugby establishment by winning this return Heineken Cup quarter-final tie.
Glen Jackson’s wobbly drop goal two minutes from the end sealed a win that came from incredible hard work, notably from the legendary Hilly, and what could be construed as a fortunate try by Frank Leonelli. A kick ahead was touched in flight and Adam Powell, in front of the kicker and the ball, realised he was then onside before offloading to Frank who galloped in from half way.
Though the glamour boys pulled back a try near the end,
Jacko’s field goal was the cue for the mother of all celebrations. We were into
the semi-finals. Nobody gave us a prayer, yet we proved that, on our day, we
were capable of beating the best. It's just a shame that those days are all to few and far between.
Video: http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/erc_rugby_tv.php?medid=1513
7. Dinamo Bucuresti 12-75 Saracens; Tei Stadium, 6 October 2001
Let’s be honest here and say that this result was never going to be in doubt, although with the team’s kit ending up in Budapest instead of Bucharest courtesy of a geographically-challenged member of staff at Heathrow, it was a bit touch and go whether there would be a game at all.
A mad scramble to find Khalid Benazzi a pair of size 14 boots before the match started while the rest of the team had to put up with BA’s refreshment packs made especially for ladies while their luggage went AWOL were two things that made us laugh and we still wonder what they did with the feminine hygiene products?
Losing one’s mind on the risibly cheap beer (35p per half litre or thereabouts) and then one’s shirt on cowboy taxi drivers (that’s the last time I ever get into a cab sans metre) was the order of this weekend.
After seeing the colour disappear from resident veggie Stringfellow’s cheeks in the Dracula restaurant when he clocked a couple of dozen hunting trophies on the walls we, the Fez, and the team descended upon what was allegedly the most happening nightclub in the Romanian capital; Planters.
Between Adey Winnan getting a little, er, squiffy, Matt
Cairns being bounced out of the ladies loo by (presumably) the national women’s
discus and hammer champs after a perfectly innocent wrong turn and everyone
else not realising what time it was, things were somewhat blurred for the rest
of the weekend. Luckily by staying until the Monday I managed to take in a
wonderful trip to Sinaia (thanks, Bboonie) and in doing so missed the rather
bumpy, vomit-inducing Sunday flight back to Heathrow during whichNick Walshe was, allegedely, more than a little unwell.
I can’t wait to go back one day. Next season perhaps?
Tries: Sparg (2), Haughton (2), Sorrell (2), O’Mahony (2), K.Benazzi, Arasa, Roche
Conversions: Smith (7), Sorrell, Cole (2)
Team: Sparg; Haughton, Horan, Sorrell, O’Mahony; Smith, Bracken; Harbut, Cairns, Phillips; K.Benazzi, Murray; Cheesbrough, Hill, Cole.
Replacements: Arasa, Roche, Russell, Walshe, Halsey, Parkes
Report: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7323314.stm
6. Northampton 8-32 Saracens; Franklin’s Gardens, 9 October 1999.
Even though Ben Cole was sent off after 26 minutes and, IIRC, Francois Pienaar was binned too Saracens still hammered a dismal Northampton on my first visit to the old, pre-facelift Gardens. Saints scored after three minutes with an Ali Hepher penalty but had to wait 75 minutes for their next points from a Mark Tucker Try.
By then, short-handed Sarries were out of sight with a brace of second half tries from Ryan Constable and one from Ben Johnston adding to Thierry Laxroix’s four first half goals which made it 12-3 at the interval, and a fifth plus one conversion in the second half.
This was one of the great Saracens performances in the Premiership and the debut of that green sweater as worn (but not recently) by yours truly.
Tries: Constable 2, Johnston. Cons: Lacroix. Pens: Lacroix 5
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those garcons dans le bleu are very helpfulFull of memorable moments - a hotel with a glorious view of the graveyard, not paying for any food or drink all weekend as the locals were just fantastic, the night porter giving us a bottle of vodka, some limes and a large kitchen knife just so we'd leave the bar and go upstairs, the person who had all 13 of our tickets almost getting arrested at the Gare du Nord and taking our tickets with him! mustering up the strength to pull a french international off the Diplomat, watching Bboonie sleep standing up without spilling his pint and being sick in every French town all the way home. Who could ask for more? And I stand by everything I said about Ramage!
And while you're asking the Diplomat where he got his name, ask him to tell you about the Babcident!
Who removed my H.R. Giger picture?
![[:wor kid:]](/phorum-5.1.15/mods/smileys/images/13.gif "[:wor kid:]")
That's the last time on pastis (it says here).
Bboonie xxx
PS I didn't even make breakfast - the hotel fortunately let me down the equivalent in soft drinks.
Then again flying into a snowstorm at Heathrow at 8 am that morning having left Cape Town the previous afternoon at 32degrees coming back from our honeymoon, sitting in the wrong seats as was too tired to read the tickets properly, expecting a whopping and wondering why I had changed the flights as we shivered to be completely mesmerising by a magnificant performance by the team and Mr Hill in particualr.
Magic!
but back to the game....fantastic team performance one of my favourite ever games in 12years as a sarries fan.Nice to see Vicarage road packed out and the team absolutely dominating a tense affair..
James Hook trying to catch the ball behind his back, Shane Williams doing nothing and Henson getting smashed by Powelly summed it all up for me..
Who removed my H.R. Giger picture?
Who removed my H.R. Giger picture?
"What Have You Lost in Europe?"
A short series, dedicated to all those things you've lost in Europe. Whether a hotel, a set of spectacles, a mobile phone or anything else which was lost, just tell us here at thesaracens.com!
Quote:A short series, dedicated to all those things you've lost in Europe. Whether a hotel,
That wouldn't be aimed at BigBri would it?
Me, I lost Liver function in Palma
There are others who have lost, but it seems only I get the mickey taken.
And never mind your liver function breaking down on Mallorca; how was it in Parma?
Who removed my H.R. Giger picture?
...followed by "Wing Mirrors at Bilbao Airport"
See, all sorts of random stuff!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:05:20:09:54:03 by Rupes.
God, It must have been a good night if I made it to Spain without realising
very good...
Burning the Boards London Style
[images.google.co.uk]
It is all relative
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:05:20:16:38:06 by Sir Tease.
We'd earlier lost the minibar in my room, though I'm not convinced that it was ever there.
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
I'm green with envy at the adventures my colleagues Glasses & Mobile have.
Quote:Large's Jumper
Nobody leaves me anywhere
Get knitted!
Who removed my H.R. Giger picture?
is there a pattern developing?
now can I offer you an upgrade today? this one goes bing or this one goes bong, just sign here
Quote:Bboonie
Green jumper to be replaced at Christmas. So which one do you want?
You buy it, I promise you I shall wear it. ;-)
Who removed my H.R. Giger picture?
Who removed my H.R. Giger picture?
Sarries vs Bath - not sure of year, but it was a "relegation battle" and we won with a try late on (in front of the south stand), possibly via R.Hill but not sure.
Sarries vs No'ton - THAT cup game featuring Steve Walsh and Pat Lam.
Who removed my H.R. Giger picture?
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!