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Ex-England hooker's tweets explain key advantage Saracens had with their bigger squad
For the past five years, Saracens have boasted a squad that no other side in England could compete with, or even come close to in truth.
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The north London outfit have a host of internationals and an academy set-up that has produced high-class player after high-class player, and the majority of teams in England have failed to keep up.
The three-time Champions Cup winners have also been able to field the most impressive array of players that are just short of being Test standard.
This obviously pays dividends during the Six Nations and autumn internationals, but throughout the season gives a depth to the squad that is unmatched across the rest of the league.
They may not have the biggest squad in the Gallagher Premiership, but they are head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the quality throughout the group.
(Continue reading below…)
Rugby Australia are ‘going to go heavy’ on Will Skelton following Saracens salary cap scandal
Now that the reigning European and English champions have been relegated from the Premiership for breaching the salary cap, it has gone a long way in explaining to many why they have been able to maintain the squad they have had.
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Former England hooker and columnist Brian Moore has helped in explaining on Twitter just how much of an impact having such depth in a squad can have.
While the competition for places has always been deemed desirable for any successful team, Moore explains that there is so much more to it – and it largely comes down to the fact that it improves the quality of training and reduces the risk of injuries for various reasons. This was his explanation:
1. Practice. Smaller squad, when injuries occur you don't have enough players to have pack v pack scrums and lineouts. You can fit other players in but the contest is not the same & often not possible. Similar for opposed back sessions. More players; more productive sessions
— Brian Moore (@brianmoore666) January 20, 2020
2. Dirt trackers – when you need 'cannon fodder' to hold tackle bags/shields, take hits in tackle practice, act as bodies to be cleared out at breakdowns, you can use non-star players – this lessens the chance of starting players being injured.
— Brian Moore (@brianmoore666) January 20, 2020
3. Rest – star players can rest during training sessions, whilst opponents are having to make their best players work more often. Less rest – more injuries; less sharpness over a long season.
Games – you can absent players from match squads so they get physical & mental rest.— Brian Moore (@brianmoore666) January 20, 2020
4. Competition – if your squad stays fit you have fewer positions in which there is no proper competition. The benefit of this is self-evident to anyone who has worked within a squad.
— Brian Moore (@brianmoore666) January 20, 2020
5. Injuries – with bigger squads there is less pressure to bring back players, star and 'ordinary' and you don't have to risk playing someone in a crucial, or any, game until they are fully fit.
— Brian Moore (@brianmoore666) January 20, 2020
You can scan match-day lineups and say breaching the salary cap had no difference, but you can't be certain it would have been the same if the club had a smaller squad because you can't tell what effect injuries would have had. You also have to factor in the advantages listed.
— Brian Moore (@brianmoore666) January 20, 2020
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And, obviously, you get more out of a session where two sets of top class forwards or backs train against each other than one where you have one top class v one average club pack/backs. https://t.co/NlMnfFp9V6
— Brian Moore (@brianmoore666) January 20, 2020
Saracens lead the way in terms of Test players in their squad amongst English sides, but there are some clubs that still come close to them.
However, it is regarding the class of the players behind those internationals where others simply cannot compete with Saracens, and Moore has given an insight into just how much that has helped them.
WATCH: It’s the end of an era at Saracens as Mark McCall confirms squad will be broken up
Comments on RugbyPass
“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
2 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
3 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
3 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to comments