'We know exactly what we need to do' - Saracens' fullback Elliot Daly puts a target on Leinster
England’s Elliot Daly wants Saracens to use their return to action at Bristol on Saturday to start building momentum ahead of next month’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final tie with Leinster.
The Gallagher Premiership will resume on Friday, 159 days after the coronavirus pandemic brought it to a halt.
Saracens have little to play for after they were relegated following repeated salary cap breaches, but, with a last-eight European clash pencilled in for September 19, Mark McCall’s side have a target to focus on.
“We have quite a few games to get into form again, to play well as a team and create some momentum ahead of that because we will need it against a good Leinster side,” Daly said.
“To build for that, it will take our whole squad to get us there. These next few games in the Premiership are important to get momentum going.
“Usually winning games gives you momentum and playing well, so there is a big emphasis on what we do here as a team and as a club to try and push forward.”
If Saracens can get past Leinster, the team they beat in the final in 2019, they will play in the last four a week later, while the final is set to be staged in Marseille on October 17.
Were McCall’s men to make it there, they could have to juggle life in the Championship with the glamour of another Champions Cup final.
Sarries back Daly added: “We know exactly what we need to do in this block of games leading up to the quarter-finals.
“After that I think we will logically look at if we make it through to the semi-finals, the next block of games and after that as well.
“If we are playing in the Championship and the Champions Cup at the same time, however it works I think for us it will be the next game mentality.
“Our squad is very good, the quality is all around and, if we do need to chop and change and bring people in, I think everyone is happy to do that.”
Daly was one of several England players to sign a long-term contract at Saracens recently in a major show of faith to the club.
Owen Farrell, Jamie George, Mako and Billy Vunipola and Maro Itoje are all staying put despite relegation, ahead of next summer when the British and Irish Lions travel to South Africa.
Daly would love to be part of Warren Gatland’s squad and hopes he will be judged on his displays in an England shirt.
“I think Warren and the coaches will look at international games more than the club games,” the 27-year-old said.
“Personally I just need to get into that form where, if I am playing for England on that level, I just need try and play my best rugby to show myself off in that way.”
When the Premiership returns on Friday night all eyes will be on whether Harlequins and Sale follow the examples set by football and cricket in taking a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Ex-Wasps wing Daly revealed the Saracens squad were yet to talk about the issue ahead of Saturday’s game at Bristol, but highlighted the work of team-mate Itoje in calling for change.
He said: “I think for me, it is supporting my team-mates and we have some people in our group, Maro especially, doing stuff on his platform, so to support someone like that is what I want to do.
“Obviously we will have a chat about it as a squad and, whatever we do, we will do together.”
Premiership players and staff have undergone regular Covid-19 tests in the build-up to the season restarting.
It has emerged that, should a club be unable to fulfil a fixture because of coronavirus, then the opposing team would be awarded a bonus-point win by a 20-0 scoreline, subject to ratification by a Premiership panel.
Daly added: “It is on us as individuals and on us as a club as well.
“It was drummed into us this week again how important all this is and to get back playing and for that to happen you have to know what the guidelines are.
“You need to make sure you are being proactive with them and putting yourself in the best place to come in and train and not put anyone at risk.”
Comments on RugbyPass
late hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
4 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould'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.
24 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.
24 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 🤐
24 Go to comments