SARRIES LEFT ON THE BRINK
Champs must win in Wales to avoid Euro exit
THIS was their seventh successive defeat, but the real Saracens resurfaced at Stade Marcel Michelin yesterday. There was more agony for them but plenty of pride, too.
They had become a rabble in the record 46-14 loss at home to the same french opponents six days earlier, but this was no repeat of that surrender. Instead, it was an almighty fight to the finish.
even so, Saracens now face a trip to Swansea next month knowing that if they don’t beat the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium, their crusade to win the ultimate prize in northern hemisphere club rugby for a third consecutive year will have been reduced to dust.
Saracens led 13-0 after 10 minutes against Clermont but could not score another point until the hour. They wound up being beaten by a 50-metre Scott Spedding penalty two minutes from the end of a thunderous Champions Cup showdown. The defeat leaves Mark McCall’s title-holders facing the threat of a pool- stage exit from europe’s premier event.
But yesterday’s defiant display in one of the game’s forbidding fortresses provided cause for hope of an imminent revival.
The Saracens slump has been surprising and sustained, with two defeats in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and three in the Premiership prior to these two at the hands of Clermont.
McCall’s men had been backed into a corner this week and responded gallantly, despite the absence of Billy Vunipola, Maro Itoje, Liam Williams, Richard Wigglesworth and Brad Barritt.
After watching his players show tenacity, belligerence and resolve, director of rugby McCall said: ‘We gave a performance that felt more like us. We were not here to roll over, we were here to compete for everything. Our defence was poor on Monday night and it was better today. Our kicking game was better. We could easily have drawn the game.
‘We are going through a difficult period at the moment but that was a team who will be OK in the long run. In the dressing room, everyone is saying that it felt better, but there is improvement in us and we know we will get through this patch.’ In light of last Monday night’s non- contest in north London, it was remarkable to behold Saracens surging into an early lead here, with Ben Spencer breaking from a ruck to score a slick solo try and Owen farrell kicking the conversion, along with two penalties.
The visitors were primed for a battle this time. Indeed, Will Skelton was sin-binned for a high tackle and was lucky not to have gone earlier — for placing his hand on an opponent’s face at a ruck and for a wild, swinging-arm hit on Spedding.
Saracens were given the benefit of the doubt countless times by the officials, largely in relation to high tackles and reckless aerial challenges, but the upshot was that Clermont were galvanised by raucous unrest in the stands.
The mood among the locals darkened in the closing stages when nick Abendanon was shown a yellow card for almost knocking himself out running into an airborne George Kruis. That just fuelled the final onslaught. Morgan Parra’s goal-kicking had dragged his side in front, only for another farrell penalty to reduce the deficit before Alex Lozowski touched down from a rare Saracens raid to give the visitors the advantage.
Parra’s seventh shot on target was followed by Spedding’s late, late match-winner.
It was a cruel climax for a team in a rut but, on this evidence, they will be out of it soon.