Saracens smash six past tyro Tigers
THERE were only a thousand fans in attendance at the rebranded Copthall Stadium, but they found a familiar scene play out as Saracens triumphed over old foes Leicester Tigers.
With six tries, including a brace each from academy hooker Kapeli Pifeteli and livewire scrum-half Tom Whitely, and an unbreachable defence in the second half, it was a happy return for the red and black machine that hasn’t been seen since October 4.
It took a while to get going. Understandably there were some creaks and rust in the first half that Leicester deservedly led 24-21 by virtue of committing less errors than their hosts.
The visitors, whose fouryear wait for a win in Hendon continues, opened the scoring on two minutes when Jake Kerr rumbled over from the back of a rolling maul.
It was honours even soon after when Rotimi Segun took advantage of an overlap on the left wing to score the first of Saracens’ tries.
Continuity evaded both teams. For that much credit must go to those jackals in the breakdown. Ollie Chessum stood out for the Tigers while Saracens’ new Namibian recruit Janco Venter was proving a handful on and off the ball.
It was however his mistake that led to Leiceter’s second try. Venter’s inability to hold on to a bouncing ball on 12 minutes allowed Johnny McPhillips to add to his eventual match haul of 12 points.
Like two sluggish brawlers, both outfits kept swinging haymakers. By the end of the half, Dom Morris and Pifeteli had registered tries for Saracens either side of a Sam Aspland-Robinson score.
After the break there was only one side in the contest. Whiteley was a half-time substitute for Alex Day, who himself didn’t do much wrong and added value with his boxkicking. But it was the extra impetus from 24-yearold Whitely that altered the affair.
Both his tries demonstrated his skills honed in Sevens rugby. His first on the hour mark began with an offload from fellow substitute Eroni Mawi down the blindside and ended with a chipped kick and contortionist’s finish inches inside the left hand perimeter. It nudged Saracens in the lead for the first time in the game.
They never looked like giving up their advantage. Pifeteli monstered over from close range before Whiteley capped his day off with another showstopper that included another chip and chase. A perfect display by American Hooley off the kicking tee worth 15 points capped off a commanding performance.
A front office scandal, relegation from the Premiership and the coronavirus pandemic has consigned 2020 to one of the worst ever experienced by Saracens’ fans. But the more things change, the more they stay the same, and though it came in a friendly, this was a reminder that this indomitable club remains a force in English rugby.