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Freddie Burns on why Gatland and Jones are the real Saracens relegation winners
Former Bath and England fly-half Freddie Burns believes England and the British and Irish Lions will “massively benefit” from Saracens retaining so many of their core players for next season despite their Gallagher Premiership relegation.
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Burns’ prediction comes after the reigning English and European champions kept many of their key players despite being set to play in the second-tier Championship next season following the salary cap scandal.
In the past week alone, Jamie George, Mako Vunipola, Elliot Daly, Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje all committed to the London club for next season and beyond – all five of them England and Lions internationals.
These join yet more high-profile players that will play in the Championship next year, such as Billy Vunipola and Sean Maitland, while others such as Ben Earl have secured season-long deals elsewhere in the Gallagher Premiership to continue their progress.
It had long been suspected Warren Gatland and the Lions would be the beneficiaries of this situation, but the upcoming exhaustive schedule for Gallagher Premiership clubs means England and Lions will undoubtedly profit from the Saracens situation.
Be afraid, be very afraid… https://t.co/wBKQkQbfZh
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 17, 2020
Following the Premiership’s suspension in March as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the league is set to resume next month with teams facing an intense run of nine games which will include midweek fixtures. There are also European Champions and Challenge Cup playoffs in September.
The new Premiership season will follow after that, although there will be a break to accommodate international fixtures. With it recently confirmed that the Lions tour in 2021 to South Africa will still take place in July and August despite the major changes to the calendar in the northern hemisphere, aspiring Lions players in the Premiership face an exhausting year ahead.
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With Saracens players expected to have a significantly lighter workload than usual due to their Premiership demotion, both Eddie Jones and Gatland will be ecstatic.
They still have to complete this current season, as well as play in the remainder of the Champions Cup, but the ensuing season in the division below may almost be seen as a sabbatical for some players.
The five-cap Englishman Burns, who is set to join Japanese outfit Shokki Shuttles, has already been critical of the brutally congested schedule that Premiership players face, explaining on Twitter why he feels England and the Lions will be grateful for the rest Saracens players will receive following their relegation.
He said: “Saracens retaining so many top players will massively benefit England and the Lions. Key players well-rested and fresh, away from the hectic schedule of Premiership rugby. Get through the seven games in 28 days, then play to peak-perform during the internationals.”
Saracens retaining so many top players will massively benefit England and the Lions. Key players well rested and fresh, away from the hectic schedule of Premiership rugby. Get through the 7 games in 28 days (?) then play to peak perform during the internationals. pic.twitter.com/3eXJs4ak2u
— Freddie Burns (@FreddieBurns) July 17, 2020
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Fortunately for Jones, Saracens do provide a fair portion of the England squad, and the chances are that many of the retained players will also be flying to South Africa next year with the Lions.
The combination of automatic relegation last January for Saracens and the current pandemic have made this one of the strangest years ever in rugby – and indeed all sport. Yet, in such unforeseen circumstances, Saracens’ punishment is likely to be a blessing for Jones and Gatland.
"That was one thing I had to learn to deal with, now you're on a properly big stage compared to Northampton… it's the whole country involved, a massive media profile"
– @GeorgeFurbank tells @jimhamilton4 about his ??????? breakthrough @SaintsRugbyhttps://t.co/zeBdbQZjZP
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 17, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Wow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
1 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)
1 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.
16 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
16 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 commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to comments