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Hateful derision of club drove Saracens players on - Goode

By Chris Jones
Owen Farrell fist pumping

Alex Goode, the European Player of the Year, believes the constant criticism and claims of salary cap breaches has helped turn Saracens into triple Heineken Cup champions.

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Saracens defeated Leinster 20-10 in Newcastle, a win that confirmed their status as the best club team in Europe and Goode’s personal award only increased questions about why he is being ignored by England.

As he celebrated another Cup triumph, Goode denied his individual success increased the frustration of being ignored by England head coach Eddie Jones who is unlikely to take the full back to the World Cup in Japan.

Goode told RugbyPass: “Getting the Player of the Year award is the icing on the cake. I am so happy to be part of this club and I love winning with these boys. I don’t worry about that( England), I worry about how I am playing and I am really happy I contributed today and during the campaign. Of course the criticism of the club hurts and playing wise it brings us closer together and it makes us fight harder for each other. No one ever wants our achievements to be diminished and European club rugby is the hardest competition in the World.

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“To win three of them is amazing and when you are successful sometimes it is hard to be loved. People have thrown stuff at us over the years calling us London South Africa and criticising the way we play but, ultimately, lots of people would love to be in our team and part of this organisation. “

Premiership rugby is investigating the latest claims of a salary cap breach revolving around co-investments owner Nigel Wray has with leading players, including Owen Farrell and Richard Wigglesworth.

Previously, Saracens were castigated for the number of South African players in their squad but have worked hard to dismiss that tag and the current team features key players who have come through their successful Academy system. Even their problems attracting sell out 10,000 crowds to Allianz Park has been used to propagate the view that they lack the kind of support normally associated with their kind of success at home and in Europe.

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Goode, who has seen the transformation of the club into Europe’s best , added: “I marvel at everyone in the front line who put in those big defensive hits and people talk about us being airy, fairy and fluffy but we pride ourselves in our togetherness and culture. We make sure we use that respect from our peers and coaches and it is about showing that with our actions out there. Brad (Barritt) epitomises that with the way he hits and hits again. To a man everyone was outstanding against Leinster and it was a very special day.”

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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