'It's a proper rivalry, I'd say there is as close to hatred there'
Jamie George can’t wait to get stuck into Harlequins on Saturday when Saracens renew their feisty relationship with their fiercest London rivals. Ever since the capital city clubs won their respective first Gallagher Premiership titles, Sarries in 2011 followed by Quins the year after, there has been no love lost between the pair and their derby matches have become must-watch affairs.
Saracens have won four more titles since their breakthrough eleven years ago but that trophy haul came at a price as the club was automatically relegated to the Championship for repeated breaches of the salary cap.
Their absence prised the door open for Harlequins to come from nowhere to enjoy a swashbuckling title win over Exeter in last June’s incredibly high-scoring final and they now put that trophy defence on the line when they visit the StoneX in this weekend’s semi-final clash between the teams that finished second and third on the regular-season ladder behind table-toppers Leicester who host Northampton in their playoff.
George has been on the go at Saracens since a November 2009 Anglo-Welsh Cup debut, going on to enjoy a maiden run in the derby with a May 2011 appearance in the 16-13 end-of-regular-season win over Harlequins at The Stoop two weeks before the action switched across the road to Twickenham where Mark McCall’s side lifted their first trophy at the expense of Leicester.
Eleven years later, no motivation is needed to get George and co up for this latest renewal of the Saracens versus Harlequins fixture, the hooker kickstarting his view by recalling how he felt seeing their rivals win last year’s Premiership final.
“Watching that final, watching them lift it, I am jealous. I’m jealous because I have been in those situations, I know how good they are. But at the same time, I have close friends in that team and I was happy for them. What I make of the rivalry is it’s a proper one, it’s a proper rivalry. I’d say there is as close to hatred there. There have been a lot of words thrown around, a lot of talk and look, I think you look back at any of the Sarries-Quins games over the last few years they are always pretty tense and quite full-on, pretty feisty so that is what we are looking to this weekend.
“We don’t need to speak about the motivation, the motivation is there. Each and every person in the team, in the 23 this weekend and the non-23, the coaches, they have all had their own experiences, they have all got their own motivators and I guess it’s not for me as a leader in this team, it’s not for Owen (Farrell) as a leader of this team to tell people how they should be feeling.
“But I know for a fact that people are remembering those things (the words Harlequins have said over the years and the over-celebrated celebrations whenever they beat Saracens), I know for a fact that we will be as motivated as ever to put in a performance this weekend because we owe it to ourselves for everything we have been through over the last couple of years. It’s time to show to each other how much it means to play at this club.”
It was when Saracens were in their title-winning pomp when Harlequins used to rub regular-season wins in the face of the London neighbours. What did George make of all that jazz? “At that period we were the team to beat, winning against us meant a huge amount to anyone. We also don’t ever undervalue the impact that winning has. They would celebrate hard when they beat us but rightly so. At the time we were the best team in the league so I’d be celebrating too.”
And his own memories of memorable Saracens wins? “A couple down there at their place, 2015 I think we beat them early on in the season 30-odd nil. To nil them at their place was a good one. There’s a load of history together, a lot of good games, we have won a few, lost a few but I love playing in those games because they are full-on.
“At the same time you talk a lot about off the field but they are all about actions on the field and they are a good team, they have got great players and I know the intensity, the rivalry, all that stuff will come out in games like this. They are a team we have a lot of respect for. They are a team that we want to make sure we are beating on Saturday.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Pick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
15 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
15 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
15 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
15 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
15 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
15 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
15 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to comments