England’s finest teams have nous and talent to reign again in Europe
McCall and Baxter deserve great credit for victories – and look set to have big impact again this season
It is still early in the season but yesterday was a significant day for English rugby’s two pre-eminent teams. After their heavy defeat in Paris last weekend, the question was absolutely there to be asked of Saracens: had the controversy over their salary cap breach affected team spirit?
Would the hangover spill onto the pitch and make this a long season for Mark McCall’s men? Or was it merely an anomaly; the natural result of playing a squad of reserve players away at one of Europe’s most powerful teams?
Exeter had different questions to answer. Consistently competitive in the Premiership, Rob Baxter’s men have consistently disappointed in Europe over the last few years. A brilliant win at La Rochelle on the opening weekend raised hopes that this season might be different. But could they back it up with an authoritative performance at home to a tricky team like Glasgow?
Both teams answered their doubters emphatically.
A lot of people will point to the return of Mako Vunipola, George Kruis and Jamie George for Saracens – not to mention the arrival of a new star in the shape of Elliot Daly – and say: “Well what do you expect? Saracens bring back a load of internationals and hey presto.”
But players are nothing without the right culture and, to give McCall credit, he has done a superb job.
I thought yesterday’s win over Ospreys showed the depth of Saracens’ culture. Yes, those aforementioned players made a big difference. You could see the players feeding off Daly in particular. Right from his first touch he was sensational. But
I thought it was an excellent all-round performance. It took them around 20 minutes to dial themselves in, but they just got stronger and stronger. Players such as
Nick Isiekwe, Rotimi Segun, Jackson Wray, Brad Barritt – who is so important to this Saracens team – visibly grew in confidence.
Their tempo went up, their running lines improved, where the ball carriers were coming from off nine or 10. By the second half they were in complete control.
It helped that Ospreys were so poor, of course. They already look like the pool’s whipping boys. But I think you have to give Saracens credit. They are going to take a huge amount of confidence from that, especially with the likes of Owen Farrell, Billy Vunipola and Maro Itoje to return.
Exeter were expected to beat Glasgow at home, but they had to be patient before they were able to pull clear. Glasgow started brilliantly at Sandy Park, running the ball back and finding space on the edges. I thought they targeted Stuart Hogg rather cleverly – kicking high and to the flanks, denying their former player the counter-attacking opportunities he so enjoys. It was actually from a Hogg mistake, running back a ball he should not and conceding a turnover, that Glasgow got their try.
Dave Rennie got Glasgow’s tactics spot on. They didn’t contest the line-out, concentrating instead on stopping Exeter’s forward momentum. Funnily enough, the one time they did contest, Exeter ended up scoring through Jonny Hill. But in that first period Exeter had no consistent control. They only made one meaningful visit to Glasgow’s 22m.
The second half would have pleased Rob Baxter so much. They varied their width, the kicked cleverly, most of all they minimised their errors. They just didn’t allow Glasgow into the game at all. I think Exeter had 81 per cent possession and territory at one point.
They completely took the game away from Glasgow, Jack Nowell and Henry Slade linking brilliantly. Hogg didn’t have his best game but I think he is going to be a huge player for Exeter. He has to learn to pick and choose his moments but he offers something different. He’s a big game player.
Where these two teams go from here remains to be seen but Saracens will be buoyant now. I wouldn’t rule out The Great Escape, nor would I rule out another Champions Cup win. They may need to win away at Munster. But we saw what Racing 92 did at Thomond Park yesterday. As for the Premiership, McCall I am sure will have broken the season up into sections. This block of games now until the next European window, the festive period, the block up to the start of the Six Nations, and so on. Those fixtures around the time of the Six Nations, when they lose all their internationals again, will be key. And a lot will depend how the teams above them fare. But I think they will relish the challenge. That’s the culture they have.
As for Exeter, Baxter will be so pleased with the start his team have made in the Champions Cup. They look assured. They look like they can adapt and cope with the pressure.
This could well be the year they cross the final frontier.