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'Our players are getting more rugby than the Welsh, Scottish and Irish - they're hardly playing at all'
Saracens boss Mark McCall insists his British and Irish Lions contingent will be more battle-hardened for the tour to South Africa than many of their Celtic counterparts.
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The north London club flattened Greene King IPA Championship leaders Ealing 48-20 to climb to third in the table, placing their promotion quest in their own hands by overcoming the damage done by an opening-weekend defeat at Cornish Pirates.
If, as expected, they reach the end-of-season play-off against the same opposition, they will have six more games before the Lions stage their pre-tour warm-up against Japan at Murrayfield on June 26.
Responding to concerns that stars such as Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Jamie George will be undercooked for the summer series against the Springboks, McCall insists they will have greater game time than rivals from the Guinness PRO14.
“Our players are getting more rugby than the Welsh, Scottish and Irish – they’re hardly playing at all. (Wales captain) Alun Wyn Jones didn’t play for the Ospreys on Saturday,” director of rugby McCall said.
“Fingers crossed we can finish our domestic season with a couple of really meaningful matches.
“There will be crowds by then too, so they’ll be the biggest matches we’ve played in this season.
“These Championship games are physical. Ealing are a mid-table Premiership side in my opinion.
“I think our players won’t be undercooked in any way. Look at the Scottish, Irish and Welsh players and see if they’re undercooked.”
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EXCLUSIVE: “It is totally out of order to threaten not to pick players if they cannot attend the training camp. Once again it is rugby shooting itself in the foot"
– @chrisjonespress ??? with the latest on the Lions impasse https://t.co/K21odvOF2x
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 25, 2021
Two tries by Vincent Koch and touch downs from Alex Lewington, Aled Davies and Nick Tompkins inflicted a first defeat of the season on Ealing, who until Sunday’s clash at StoneX Stadium had secured a maximum 30 points from six outings.
“That was an important win. It was a good performance. Physically we were good but there is a lot of stuff we can do better,” McCall said.
“Our rugby was inaccurate at times so there is plenty of stuff for us to get better at in the next five or six weeks.
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“We have put it firmly back in our own hands. We have got four games left. We have an important game against Nottingham to finish this four-game period off and then we have a weekend off.
“We have to make sure we get our attitude right going up to Nottingham next weekend.”
'Half my mates who have already retired say, ‘Don’t retire. Do as much as you can because it’s hard on the other side’
Staying fit at 38 ?
Giving up All Blacks dream ?
How rugby changed ?
The kick that haunts him ?@jimmygopps talks to @heagneyl ???https://t.co/5u0qxKNIOE— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 25, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to comments