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Saracens forced to evolve in response to leaking of coaching talent - Sanderson
Paul Gustard’s arrival as Harlequins head of rugby is the latest example of Saracens impact on coaching around the rugby world and the English Premiership champions are actively spreading their title winning gospel.
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The ethos that Brendan Venter helped create at Saracens has been carried on by Mark McCall, the current director of rugby, who has seen Andy Farrell, Gustard, Ian Vass, Rory Teague and Rob Cain leave to take up key roles at home and abroad, with former player Mouritz Botha now the forwards coach with Germany. Just like their first team squad, the English champions are concentrating on homegrown talent in their successful Academy where the next group of coaches are being groomed.
In May last year Mike Hynard replaced Don Barrell as Saracens Academy Manager with Barrell joining the Rugby Football Union as Head of Regional Academies. Currently part of the Saracens Academy are Kelly Brown, the former Scotland captain who has coached breakdowns for Scotland and also helped Canada and the Royal Navy and Adam Powell, the former Saracens and Newcastle centre.
The Saracens coaching production line has delivered;
- Brendan Venter, former technical director London Irish, ex-defence consultant South Africa and Italy.
- Andy Farrell, British and Irish Lions coach, defence coach of Ireland.
- Paul Gustard, former England defence coach and newly appointed Harlequins head of rugby.
- Ian Vass, former England U20 Grand Slam winning coach now with Montpellier.
- Rory Teague, former skills coach with England now head coach at Bordeaux Begles
- Rob Cain first full-time USA women’s head coach after his role with Saracens title winning women’s team
- Mouritz Botha, forwards coach with Germany
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For Saracens, there must be a real danger that by allowing key coaches to join rival organisations, their position at the top of the game could be seriously undermined. Owner Nigel Wray dismisses this notion insisting that like his players, the coaches are encouraged to make the very best of their talents
Alex Sanderson, the Saracens forwards and defence coach, whose name has been linked to the England defence role that Gustard left this summer, agrees with Wray and rather than fearing the club’s secrets will be lost, he believes it only pushes the English champions to keep evolving and getting even better.
Sanderson is relishing going up against Gustard when the clubs meet at the Stoop on October 6 in a game that will be streamed live to the USA by NBC. He said: ”It is going to be even more interesting to have Guzzy there because there is no love lost between Sarries and Quins. Maybe they needed an environmental or cultural shift because they certainly have the players, tradition and pedigree to be a really good team. They are not far off it and to be honest, I am going to be really pleased to see more of him because I didn’t when he was with England as Eddie kept him very busy.
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“There are similarities in terms of what teams do in defence and by having him, Quins will know our principles and policies but there is so much more to defence than just the system. It is always evolving as it did starting with Brendan (Venter) and then Guzzy and there are constant changes every season, especially when people leave the club. While the ethos continues you are always looking to move things forward regardless who is in charge.
“ We want to win all of the competitions and the European Champions Cup is massive. We let ourselves down in the Cup last season and if anything to home defeat in the pool stage against Clermont was the turning point for us. When we looked at what needed to be addressed it was a case of recognising the slide had started weeks earlier and while we didn’t have a big stand up meeting we had a lot of difficult small conversations and got everyone back onto the same page.
“To win the Premiership title again at Twickenham was sweet for the reasons I have mentioned, having turned a corner and found a way to get back on top again. I don’t look too far ahead. It is about getting through the first three games of the new season and see where we are and as always, it is about enjoying the journey – simple as that.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Should've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick 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.
19 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?
9 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.
9 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.
28 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 🤐
19 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….
28 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….
19 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….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to comments