Is this what has to pass for a local derby, now?

By Jonjo
April 15 2006

Summer can't be far away, I can hear the sound of Wasps, probably preparing their speeches to the referee (a key part of their game plan).

How can Saracens, lately in a battle to avoid relegation, expect to compete against the reigning Premiership Champions? Only last week Wasps won the Powergen Anglo-Welsh Cup, while Saracens scraped a 4 point win against bottom of the league Leeds.

 

The truth is that Wasps, love 'em or hate 'em, are a bit of a class act. However, they have certainly not been playing to the best of their ability recently, and the Powergen Cup was not a great advertisement for the game. By contrast, Saracens, having gone through a very ropey period when we couldn't win a raffle, are once again playing with some verve and confidence. In fact over the last couple of seasons, I reckon Saracens’ best games have been against the strongest sides, and it has been our repeated failure to put the weaker sides away that has, at times, threatened our downfall.

 

Saracens have a good pack of forwards and should have the edge in the scrum on Sunday, and we should at least have parity in the line-out. It could be an interesting contest between Shane Byrne and his predecessor M. Ibanez, possibly worth the price of admission on its own, seeing as Raphael clearly felt undervalued in his time at Vicarage Road. However, Wasps will be seriously dangerous when the ball gets into the backs, with their blitz defence leaving no time for second thoughts on our ball, and the speedsters Sackey, Voyce and Lewsey, complemented by the guile of Abbott and Van Gisbergen, posing a constant threat when they are in possession.

 

My preferred tactics would be to deny them the space to run by making sure that kicks for touch go into the stands (giving no chance of a quick throw in) or are chased hard. We can score from set piece, and we can score by kicking to a flyer down the touch line. In the Double Header, Glen also used the big miss-pass a few times. It can beat the rush-in defence by getting outside it, but it also exposes you to the risk of interception.

 

The team selection raises more questions for me than it answers. Why is Thomas on the wing? Why switch Kevin Sorrell and Ben Johnston from inside to outside centre? And indeed, is this the actual starting line up?

 

I would have liked to have seen Del on the wing, fit and raring to go, as I think his speed is vital in attack and defence, combined with the strength and direct running of BJ and the sleight of hand of MTC to feed him. There is a plan there, but I can't see what it is, unless it is to present an unstructured back line to baffle the defensive planners. But then, I was not even on the short list for DOR, so what do I know?

 

Wasps will have good travelling support, and we need to get behind our boys the way we did in Leeds. Time to clear the throat and give it full power: three matches to go and another crack at the Heineken to play for! Remember how well the youngsters did in the Powergen? They so nearly did it then, and nearly did it in the Double Header. We can do it on Sunday!

 

Go Sarries! GO! GO! GO!

 

1 Kevin Yates Prop

2 Shane Byrne Hooker

3 Cobus Visagie Prop

4 Simon Raiwalui Second Row

5 Tom Ryder Second Row

6 Kris Chesney Flanker

7 Taine Randell Flanker

8 Hugh Vyvyan No. 8

 

9 Kyran Bracken Scrum Half

10 Glen Jackson Fly Half

 

11 Tevita Vaikona Wing

12 Ben Johnston Centre

13 Kevin Sorrell Centre

14 Thomas Castaignede Wing

15 Mark Bartholomeusz Full Back

 

16 Matt Cairns Sub

17 Ben Broster Sub

18 Nick Lloyd Sub

19 Ben Russell Sub

20 Mosese Rauluni Sub

21 Dan Harris Sub

22 Dan Scarbrough Sub

 

... and for completeness, the tardy Ed can append the published version of the visitors' selection:

 

15 Mark Van Gisbergen
14 Paul Sackey
13 Josh Lewsey
12 Stuart Abbott
11 Tom Voyce
10 Alex King
9 Matt Dawson

1 Tim Payne
2 Joe Ward
3 Peter Bracken
4 Simon Shaw
5 Richard Birkett
6 Daniel Leo
7 Joe Worsley
8 Lawrence Dallaglio (Capt)

16 Raphael Ibanez
17 Alistair McKenzie
18 Mark Lock
19 James Haskell
20 Eoin Reddan
21 Jeremy Staunton
22 Ayoola Erinle