Saracens 15 - 20 London Wasps
Saturday 3 September 2011
Jack Lewars at Twickenham.
In the coming months, Saracens will wonder how on earth they lost this match. Superior in territory and utterly dominant in the scrum, they led 15-13 with under 20 minutes left and would have counted on Wasps' chronic indiscipline to see them home. However, Wasps came from behind to win with some opportunistic finishing, scoring two tries to surpass the five successful kicks from reigning Premiership champions.
Wasps began the game as they meant to go on, namely by giving away penalties. A careless truck and trailer at a lineout gave Owen Farrell his first three points, before the young fly half smashed opposite number Nicky Robinson to win a second successful attempt. Although Robinson was able to halve the deficit with a fifteenth minute penalty from a scrum (possibly the only success Wasps had in that particular phase of play in the entire match), Saracens looked firmly in command as they continued with the tried-and-tested formula of forward muscularity and kicking for position.
It was therefore somewhat against the run of the play that Wasps scored their first try. Ricki Flutey, energised after his omission from the England World Cup squad, appeared to be running down a blind alley, before an explosive step and hand-off created a foot of space. His offload was brilliantly flicked on by new signing Hugo Southwell, and Christian Wade, who was a livewire presence all game, had a clear run to the line. Robinson added a simple conversion and Wasps found themselves 10-6 in front.
Saracens continued to pressure, however, especially via the non-existent Wasps scrum, and spent the next fifteen minutes largely in their opponents' half. However, some hugely committed defence from Wasps kept the 'home' side at bay until the 37th minute, when a brilliant run by David Strettle caused Wasps to infringe at the ruck. Farrell was able to bring Saracens to within a point but Wasps struck back instantly as a thunderous Southwell tackle won a penalty straight from the kickoff. Robinson duly converted, and the sides left the field with Wasps 13-9 ahead.
The second half promised a Saracens response and it duly arrived. Strettle claimed his own up-and-under, only for Farrell to miss the forthcoming penalty, and then the Saracens pack wrecked two successive Wasps scrums after enterprising work from Joe Launchbury had won a 5m scrum for the yellow-and-blacks. A Saracens try then seemed certain as Schalk Brits released Alex Goode, only for his pass to elude Ernst Joubert just feet from the line, the champions having to settle for a Charlie Hodgson penalty instead.
A second three points, again from a Wasps infringement at the scrum, did allow Saracens to sneak 15-13 in front, but there was always the possibility that their profligacy would cost them, and it proved so. Yet another superb break from Strettle appeared to set up a promising platform but the ball squirmed loose as the pack lumbered forward. Tim Payne and Charlie Davies reacted quickest, combining to set Tom Varndell clear, and the winger brushed off Hodgson and Strettle to score under the posts.
Trailing 15 -20, the Saracens effort was redoubled, and a strong run from winger James Short ended in a knock-on and a Wasps scrum. Predictably, this was a penalty-in-waiting for Hodgson, but his attempt drifted crucially wide and Saracens were unable to create another significant chance as they chased a last-ditch try.
Although Saracens dominated several facets of the game, they ultimately paid the price for having no plan B. You know what to expect with the South African owned outfit and they are very good at big carrying and smart kicking. However, when faced with unexpected Wasps scores, they were unable to create more than one genuine try-scoring opportunity of their own. This was compounded by the fact that Hodgson was their reserve playmaker. Although he perfectly fits the Saracens mould with his kicking ability, he offers less than Farrell with the ball in hand and his introduction was never likely to add to their attacking threat. If they wish to repeat last season's success, Saracens will have to hope that they are consistently in front this season, so that Hodgson can close out games for them. As things stand, they will always be vulnerable to clinical finishing or plain bad luck - and they may again find themselves struggling to understand how they lost a game that seemed theirs for the taking. As for Wasps, they will need to improve their discipline and scrum as soon as possible in order to support their standout players - Flutey, Southwell and man-of-the-match Jonathan Poff - but their delight at a winning start was evident at the final whistle.
Star man: David Strettle, who did not deserve to lose after numerous incisive runs.
This report is also published on www.footintouch.co.uk, Jack's own recently-launched blog. Please visit and register to add your support!
