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Saracens vs South Africa makes perfect sense in 2021
Time to run it back? Saracens and South Africa are two teams that have played very little rugby over the past year, and are still not set to play again for a number of months.
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Saracens must wait until March before their truncated season in the Greene King IPA Championship begins, while the Springboks have not played a match since Siya Kolisi lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in 2019, and are not due to play another one until the first Test against the British and Irish Lions in Johannesburg in July, should the tour still go ahead.
Both teams are hungry for fixtures, with Saracens exploring the option of creating a mini tournament before their domestic season commences. Meanwhile, Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber recently said that they are seeking new fixtures to get the world champions ready for the Lions. Indeed, a lack of preparation was one of the main reasons why they opted not to compete in the recent Tri-Nations.
Surely this provides a perfect opportunity for the two to face one another? Saracens traditionally have a good relationship with South African opposition; not only have they had a large African contingent in their squad in the past, but they played the Sharks in 2014 and famously beat the Springboks 24-23 in an exhibition match in Wembley in 2009.
This could benefit both sides in equal measure, as well as Warren Gatland and his Lions squad. Though Saracens have a handful of players out on loan, they still boast seven players in their squad that have been selected for the Lions before (including Billy Vunipola who pulled out of the 2017 tour), an indication of the calibre of players within the Saracens squad, and why they will offer stern opposition for the Springboks.
Moreover, the big names for Saracens are likely to feature in the Six Nations, but may not necessarily be called upon in the Championship. They will want to stay sharp as much as the Springboks will ahead of the summer.
The main question is when would this match be, as while there is still over two months before the Championship season starts, preparations for the Six Nations will begin later this month.
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? Relive the special memory from Wembley Stadium, when @Saracens took on the @Springboks ?? in 2009.
(*Even more memorable, a fan won £250 000 in the crossbar challenge). • Screening today @ 3pm on Saracens, YouTube channel. pic.twitter.com/8k7pJVYEhx— Brad Barritt (@bradbarritt) June 13, 2020
Nienaber also outlined what South Africa are looking for in their prospective opponents.
“Whatever matches we arrange, we must prepare for the Lions’ tour,” he told Rapport. “If you think [Lions coach] Warren Gatland will coach his team to play Barbarians rugby, we can play against the Barbarians. But if you think he’s going to dominate, with good solid facets and kicks, you need to make sure you practice against a team that has those qualities.
“Our preparation will be similar to what we would expect from the Lions.”
Once again, this shows why this is an ideal matchup, as not only do Saracens play a style that is comparable to how Gatland’s Lions will play, particularly their defensive side, but there is a legitimate case that at least five current Saracens players will start against the Springboks in the red Lions jersey. In that case, for the potential Lions tourists within the Saracens squad, as well the South African players they could face, there is no better preparation for July.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to comments