Isa’s interest delights kids
HOSPICE VISIT PUTS DEFEAT IN PERSPECTIVE FOR WIGAN
some Easter eggs and seeing the smiles on their faces is what it’s all about. It’s a great thing for the club to do and for the players to be involved in.”
Wigan looked to have overcome the late withdrawal of Sam Tomkins through illness at Saints when they overturned a 10-point deficit to lead 14-12 late on.
Isa admitted the loss of their star
Ffull-back – central to a new attacking game plan all week – was a blow, with Morgan Escare stepping in having been unable to train during the week himself.
Isa said: “Sam is one of the key players in our spine and he was sick during the week.
“Morgan came in and he did his job – as a 17 the effort was there.
“You couldn’t fault that but there were too many penalties and easy yards for them.” SARACENS hooker Jamie George is feeling the love back at his club after England’s Six Nations collapse and aims to prove it in Dublin today.
The reigning European champions take on Stuart Lancaster’s (below) Leinster in their Champions Cup quarterfinal at the Aviva Stadium.
And it gives the Saracens’ England contingent the chance to have a crack at Ireland heroes such as Johnny Sexton and Rob Kearney who beat them at Twickenham a fortnight ago to claim the Grand Slam.
But George insists all that is history for him and for his Sarries and England team-mates Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje.
The 27-year-old said: “For the majority of us we desperately wanted to get back in and get going again. When you come away from the Six Nations, whether it is last year when we won it or this year when we came fifth you just look forward to your next game with Saracens.
“I am hungry for more – I didn’t play as many minutes as a few of the other guys during the Six Nations period. The training is pretty full-on but the club look after us pretty well. The thing about rugby is you are constantly looking forward. Even after the Lions tour, potentially the biggest moment of your career, I was thinking about pre-season.”
Saracens have got a shot in the arm with the return of Farrell from a thigh injury and lock George Kruis from back trouble.
Skipper Brad Barritt will lead the team despite having a plate put in his fractured left cheek last Tuesday.
Crucially they have been here before. Sarries have won two of the last three Premierships and the last two Champions Cups. Last year they travelled to Dublin and dumped Munster out at the semifinal stage.
And boss Mark McCall reckons that epic 26-10 win over Munster last season gives them hope as they take on Leinster, who qualified as top seeds after the pool stages, with Saracens creeping through eighth.
McCall said: “These types of games bring out the best in us. We’ve won quite a few of our play-off games and that gives the players confidence, and some of our better performances have been in these away games.