NOW FUTURE IS PLIGHT
Saracens make knockouts but squad set to break up
MARK McCALL admitted to the ‘end of an era’ despite Saracens using the pain of relegation disgrace to fuel one of their greatest wins.
A day of high emotion ended with the shamed club booking a Champions Cup quarter-final at top seeds Leinster.
But that tells nothing of the incredible drama that saw Billy Vunipola lost to a suspected broken arm after six minutes, Will Skelton sent off before half-time and 14-men Sarries come from behind to snatch both victory and the final qualifying spot with Owen Farrell’s penalty five minutes from time.
“That was some show of character,” said Sarries director of rugby McCall. “Given the level of distraction there’s been over the last 10 weeks, to demonstrate the resilience and unity they have is very special. They’re a remarkable group.”
Remarkable but also salary cap-busting, which means that while they can take pride in this 80 minutes, and even give Leinster some sleepless nights ahead of the last-eight clash on the first weekend of April, there is pain and humiliation in store. McCall conceded that the relegation penalty, inflicted on the club for a fourth consecutive season in breach of the £7million cap, would force the break-up of a squad that has dominated the past decade.
“Of course there are going to be changes,” he said. “There is no doubt the bunch of players we have in our squad now aren’t going to be the same bunch we have in the Championship next year.
“In many ways this is the end of that era. The optimistic way of looking at it is we now have some time to plan for a new era and a new journey.”
At least McCall, like his players, fronted up. There was no sight nor sound from either Premiership Rugby or the tainted Saracens hierarchy.
“The only clarity we have is we are going to be relegated,” said McCall, who will begin meeting with his players today to discuss the future.
“Everyone has got a slightly different situation. We need to talk to Eddie Jones to see what he thinks in terms of his established internationals from Saracens.We also need to know what he thinks about the younger players from Saracens.
“Someone like Ben Earl, we’d like to keep at the club for the next five years but he’s close to
getting on the England team so we’ve got to see where Eddie’s head is at and Ben’s head is at.
“There’s a Lions tour next season so we have to talk to Warren Gatland about what he would like from the Saracens players who are in contention.
“Then there’s the players themselves. It’s possible that how they feel in a few days’ time might be different as well. It won’t be straightforward. It is important we make decisions with the players, not for them. Keeping players against their will is never going to work.”
At Allianz Park yesterday it was that collective will which prevailed, with Maro Itoje scoring a try either side of one for Mako Vunipola.
It kept Saracens’ season alive. For one more game at least. After that, nobody really knows.
SARACENS – Tries: Itoje (2), M Vunipola.
Cons: Farrell (3). Pens: Farrell (2).
RACING – Tries: Vakatawa (2), Dupichot.
Cons: Russell, Iribaren (2).
Pen: Iribaren.