SARRIES STARS PROVE A POINT
Saracens run riot to put Jones on the spot
EDDIE JONES watched Saracens rip Bath to shreds and was then told those players he had dropped must be recalled today.
Less than a month ago Jones axed Billy Vunipola, below, his brother Mako and club-mate Jamie George and challenged them to prove him wrong.
At the Rec yesterday he got his response as the trio combined to hand Bath the worst Premiership beating in their proud history.
“Billy was unreal, Mako as well,” said Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall after a 10-try win that included two scores for George.“They deserve to be in the squad after the way they played. Will I be surprised if they’re not? I’d be amazed. Everybody would.”
Jones names his autumn squad this afternoon and has a real concern over Lions hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, who suffered leg damage in Exeter’s win at Wasps. He will also be worried about
Anthony Watson (knee) and Maro Itoje (shoulder/pec), having seen both forced off yesterday.
But the majority of what Jones witnessed on his visit to Bath will have had him purring on his way back up the M4.
The Vunipola brothers were everywhere in a performance featuring a hat-trick for England full-back Max Malins and tries for Itoje, Ben Earl, Eroni Mawi, Rotimi Segun and Dom Morris.
“If Eddie wanted to see if they had the motivation and desire to still play for England then they showed that,” said McCall.
“I thought Owen [Farrell] was brilliant as well.We’ve got players who can make things happen. was a really top performance.”
It was Bath’s worst home league defeat, and the third most points conceded by any club in Premiership Rugby history. A fourth consecutive league loss leaves the six-time champions bottom and staring at their worst start to a season for 20 years.
Director of rugby Stuart Hooper said: “It’s as bad as it gets and we have to
stand up and be counted. “That pain we feel right now, we need to feel it.
“Saracens were hot and we were spectacularly poor. We have to make sure that nothing like that happens again.
“There will be questions from everywhere about me, my players and my staff.”
BATH – Tries: De Glanville, Ellis, Muir. Con: Cipriani. SARACENS - Tries: Itoje, Malins (3), George (2), Earl, Mawi, Segun, Morris. Cons: Farrell (8), Goode.
Farrell.