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Brian O'Driscoll's bold Premiership prediction about Saracens

Saracens react after their Premiership semi-final defeat at Northampton last May (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Legendary Ireland midfielder Brian O’Driscoll has made a bold prediction about Saracens ahead of the 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership, claiming they will fail to qualify for the semi-finals.

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Crowned champions of England six times since 2011, Saracens have been end-of-season semi-finalists in 13 of the last 15 years, only missing out in 2019/20 when they were automatically relegated from the top flight due to the salary cap breaches which resulted in them spending 2020/21 in the Championship.

O’Driscoll’s area of expertise as a TV pundit was in the past confined to coverage of the Investec Champions Cup, the tournament which features his former club Leinster.

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However, the Irishman has become a regular on the Premiership beat since earlier this year with TNT Sports and ahead of this weekend’s start to the new campaign, he has delivered a series of predictions on social media.

Sitting in the old main stand at Leicester’s Welford Road, O’Driscoll’s most attention-grabbing statement came when asked to name his surprise package of the year. “Saracens not to make the top four,” he replied.

Fixture
Gallagher Premiership
Gloucester
26 - 35
Full-time
Saracens
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Mark McCall’s team start their 2024/25 campaign this Saturday away to Gloucester and they will be adjusting to life without former skipper Owen Farrell and the Vunipola brothers, Mako and Billy, who are now all playing in the French Top 14 with Racing 92, Vannes and Montpellier respectively.

O’Driscoll was on punditry duty last May when Saracens’ 2023/24 title challenge came unstuck, the Londoners losing at home to Sale on the final regulation day of the season. That defeat cost them home advantage for the semi-finals and they were sent packing six days later when beaten at Northampton in the last four.

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Other than the season when they were relegated for off-field issues and the year that followed in the English second-tier, Saracens have been Premiership semi-finalists for the last decade and a half.

After they finished a desultory ninth place in 2008/09 under Eddie Jones, Brendan Venter took charge and he led them to third place in his only full season. McCall then stepped up midway through 2010/11 to lead the club to nine successive semi-final appearances before their relegation.

Since returning from the Championship in 2021, they have re-established themselves as title contenders, reaching the semi-finals in each of the last three seasons.

O’Driscoll’s bold guess about Saracens not making the 2024/25 semi-finals wasn’t his only prediction for the new campaign. “Premiership champions? Quins. Premiership top try scorer? Joe Cokanasiga. Premiership top points scorer? AJ MacGinty.

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“Breakthrough player of the season? Northampton Saints’ Henry Pollock. New signing most excited to watch? Wow. Bill Mata maybe. What a signing he is. Fireworks.”

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Crusaders outlast fast starting Blues to reach another Super Rugby final

Yeah nar, but that’s kinda the thing, I don’t think the old approach was working either!


You might have it right though, leading up, in all rugby/competitions mean, to the last WC it did feel like there had been better discipline/less than the normal amount of cards. Well, at least a certain demographic of teams improved at least, but not so much NZ ones is my point.


I bet you also think going harsher would be the best way to go reducing head contact and the frequency of concussions?


I would hate to have your theory tested as it requires subjective thinking from the officials but..

AI Overview

In Super Rugby Pacific, a red card means the player is sent off for the rest of the match, but with a 20-minute red card, the team can replace the player after 20 minutes of playing with 14 men. If the foul play is deemed deliberate and with a high degree of danger, a full red card is issued, and the player cannot be replaced. A second yellow card also results in a 20-minute red card with a replacement allowed. 

is there to stop that from happening. The whole subjective thing is why we have 20min cards, and I worry that the same leniency that stopped them from red carding a player who ran 30 meters and still didn’t get his head low enough would stop them straight redn them too.


Back to the real topic though, right after that WC we saw those same angles getting red carded all over the show. So do some players actually have control over their actions enough to avoid head collisions (and didn’t gaf after the WC?), or was it pure luck or an imaginary period of good discipline?


So without a crystal ball to know the truth of it I think you’ll find it an immeasurably better product with 20m red cards, there just does not appear to be any appropriate amount of discipline added to the back end, the suspensions (likely controlled by WR), yet.

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