SARACENS FIND IT TOO EASY AGAINST OSPREYS
OSPREYS are almost certainly just a defeat away from exiting the Heineken Champions Cup following a predictable bonus-point defeat at holders Saracens. They were without 15 front-line players, including Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Gareth Anscombe, George North, Dan Lydiate, Scott Williams and Dan Evans, through injuries or being rested following the Rugby World Cup.
But they didn’t help themselves against a Saracens team without some of its own big names by making too many unforced errors, lacking patience on the ball and giving away daft and unnecessary penalties to put themselves under pressure at Allianz Park.
Coach Allen Clarke’s team made it too easy for the champions and prop up Pool Four.
To have any chance of progressing they probably would have to win their four remaining fixtures – Munster and Racing 92 are the other teams in the group – but the reality of the situation is that is highly unlikely to happen with some of their key men on the long-term injured list.
Ospreys’ away record in the Champions Cup isn’t a cause for optimism either because they have won just one of their last 24 games on the road with their only success coming at Northampton Saints during the 2017-18 pool stage.
Ospreys have been successful in just one of their eight fixtures in all competitions and are one place off the bottom of their Conference in the Guinness PRO14.
You couldn’t fault their commitment on the plastic pitch at Hendon, but they lacked structure and often couldn’t cope with the powerful, high-tempo and accurate handling game of Saracens.
Clarke lamented: “Saracens capitalised on our mistakes. They went three, six, got a try from a turnover and another when we were exiting.
“That’s what they do and they squeezed us thereafter. We came up against a really good team, but we certainly made them look better.”
As regards the rest of the group stage, with two losses already, the former Ireland hooker said: “History has shown it doesn’t really rule you out, but we have got Racing home and away next, and that’s what we need to focus on.
“You can see there’s a little bit of self-belief missing that’s required, that confidence to go and take opportunities, to come alive when we are in the opposition half.
“We have got to do it on the training field and make sure, as a group, we stick together.”
Saracens were certainly fired up and set about their business with gusto to rattle up a 23-3 lead in the first half.
Hooker Jack Singleton, right-wing Roti Segun and left-wing Alex Lewington went over for tries with outside-half Manu Vunipola, a cousin of his clubmates Mako and Billy Vunipola, converting one.
He also put over a penalty with Elliot Daly, making his debut after joining from Dai Young’s Wasps, landing a trademark longrange goal to open the scoring.
Ospreys never threatened to create a try, with their only points coming through a firsthalf penalty from veteran outside-half James Hook.
Saracens got their fourth try for a precious bonus point when Segun went over for his second touchdown early in the second half after scorching outside Ospreys’ full-back Cai Evans.
A penalty try followed as they shunted the beleaguered Welsh region backwards at a five-metre scrum.
Prop Richard Barrington got their sixth
when he burrowed his way over from short-range.
SARACENS: E Daly; R Segun, D Taylor, B Barritt (capt), A Lewington; Manu Vunipola, T Whiteley; Mako Vunipola, J Singleton, T Lamositele, W Skelton, G Kruis, N Isiekwe, B Earl, J Wray. Reps: J George, R Barrington, J Ibuanokpe, J Kpoku, A Christie, R Wigglesworth, A Lozowski, M Gallagher.
OSPREYS: C Evans; H Dirksen, O Watkin, K Williams, T Williams; J Hook, A Davies; N Smith, S Otten, M Fia, A Beard, B Davies, M Orie, O Cracknell (capt), M Morris. Reps: I Phillips, G Thomas, T Botha, L Ashley, S Cross, S Venter, L Price, T Thomas-Wheeler.