Saracens' 'unfortunately celebrating getting a losing bonus' verdict

Mark McCall had conflicting emotions on Saturday night in Limerick – pride that his Saracens team had fought and scrapped but unhappy that a late try chance to rescue the 12-17 Investec Champions Cup pool loss critically wasn’t taken.

There were just minutes remaining when the Londoners’ best attack of a generally dour match created an edge on the left hand side entering the Munster 22.

All Liam Williams had to do was give a pass to the in-the-clear Juan Martin Gonzalez and the try to level the scores – with a conversion to follow – would have been scored. However, he instead ghosted the support outside him, ran into contact and the chance was painfully lost.

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“That was the thing, we fought and we scrapped and we had one really good attack and it was an easy chance and we blew it and we would have been celebrating a famous win at Thomond Park and unfortunately we are celebrating getting a losing bonus point which might be important in the end,” said the Saracens director of rugby.

For a large part of the round three match, the Gallagher Premiership side had looked as if they were on the cusp of winning for the first time in Limerick. They were 6-3 up at the interval having had the better of a low frills first half and then 9-3 ahead when their effort unravelled around the hour mark shortly after Fergus Burke was wide with a drop goal chance.

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Two tries were conceded in quick succession to see Saracens fall 9-17 behind but a third Alex Lozowski penalty, which added to a long-range effort from Elliot Daly, ensured a tense finish. “Look, the game was a real arm wrestle, a real grind,” McCall volunteered.

“Both teams struggled to attack all that well tonight. The ball was obviously greasy and slippy and the kicking game was very important to both teams. It felt in the first half we had good control, good control of territory without creating many big chances, a couple of half-chances.

“But 6-3 wasn’t maybe all that great for the control that we had. And then just in a 10-minute period we give them the couple of chances they got and they were good enough to take it to be honest. But I’m proud of a lot of what this new team gave out there tonight.

“It’s a tough place to come and I thought we fought and scrapped for absolutely everything. We got the best out of each other and that’s what we want to be like.”

Was this ‘newness’ of a team that no longer has the likes of Owen Farrell or the Vunipola brothers to call on ultimately the difference in that vital period when Munster grabbed their tries? “I’m not sure,” McCall answered.

“But you have got someone like Harry Wilson, who is playing lock at Thomond Park. He was playing for Doncaster last year and I thought he did phenomenally well.

“It’s a good experience for someone like Fergus as well. This is not an easy place to come as an opposition fly-half and there is lots to learn for the whole team really. But at the basis of everything we have got to be a team that fights and scraps no matter where we are and I thought we did that.

“Attack for both teams was pretty complicated tonight and both defences were very strong, and (it was about) going to the air and finding space in the backfield which both teams did well. We did it better in the first, they probably did it better in the second.

“That was the way we needed to play to be honest and we made it a real contest, made it a real scrap and we were winning that scrap for a long part of the game, up until the hour mark really, and that seven or eight minutes, they were good enough to take the chances they got.”

Munster beating Saracens, Northampton losing at Stade Francais and Castres seeing off the Bulls has given Pool Three a congested look at the top heading into next weekend’s final round of matches. Saints are in front on 11 points, with Munster and Saracens one point behind. Then come Castres on nine.

“I just heard that Northampton lost. If we get a win against Castres at home next weekend and have 14 or 15 points let’s see if that is good enough to get us home in the last 16,” said McCall.