Why Dallaglio believes 'ominously good' Saracens are the team to fear

Former England and Wasps talisman Lawrence Dallaglio believes Saracens are the team for everyone to fear in this season’s Gallagher Premiership. The legendary No8 now works in the league as a pundit for TNT Sports and the Londoners’ demolition of Leicester a fortnight ago left him believing the defending champions could prove impossible to stop as they look to secure back-to-back titles in England.

Saracens now travel to Harlequins on Saturday as part of the all-derby fixtures round six weekend that will mark how a third of the campaign is already over. “It’s a fast start,” said Dallaglio to RugbyPass. “I’m of the age where there was a 10-team league and we only played one game each, so you had nine matches that were really quite important.

“This is home and away but even so, you have got to hit the ground running as it feels like a compacted season. Every result brings a little more jeopardy because in the past when you had 22 rounds of rugby, you could afford to have a few off days and still be able to catch up. This time around, there can be one or two off days and every club has had one but you can’t have too many of them.

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“When you come back from a World Cup, you have just got yourself into the best shape of your life so therefore you should be excited to be coming back to your club and using all that fitness in a very positive way. You have only got to admire what has happened at Saracens where they came back.

“Every club has got its own methods and sensible conversations between the director of rugby and players, what shape are you in physically, mentally and emotionally after the World Cup, all those things, and what shape are the club in? Are we bottom of the table, mid-table, top? Everyone has got a different way of working it but you have to be impressed with Saracens’ England players slipping seamlessly back in and using that momentum.

A perfect return for Gallagher Premiership Player of the Match @maroitoje ?

He shares his thoughts on returning from the World Cup the potential of @Saracens and the beauty of sport ?#GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/E9J3Ee9nQ7

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 4, 2023

“While they didn’t achieve what they wanted in the tournament, the likes of Ben Earl, Maro Itoje, Jamie George played pretty damn well in the World Cup and you want to use that momentum, use that form, use that energy and excitement to really kick start your club season.

“There is no point talking about the Premiership without starting with the champions. They look ominously good; 1-15 was an international starter against Leicester and for whatever reason, Leicester didn’t pick some of their young players who had only played a few games at the World Cup.

“I can’t understand why you can’t just come straight back in quite frankly but each club, each player has his own playing schedule. Maybe it was a game they didn’t think they would win at the beginning, but it was ominous for the rest of the league because Saracens won that game (32-17) without getting out of second or third gear really.”

It was January 2020 when Saracens were automatically relegated to the Championship following repeated salary cap breaches. They have since played their way back into the top flight, reaching the Twickenham final in both campaigns since their return. Dallaglio has nothing but admiration for their rejuvenation.

“Listen, they are an exceptionally well-run club right the way down to the academy. I don’t really get involved in the controversy, that has been and gone and they have been punished. You can talk about whether the right thing was done by the powers that be but that is very much in the past.

“They went down to the Championship, rebuilt themselves, streamlined a little bit as a club but they are still incredibly well run economically as a club, so the structures and processes that were put in place from the very beginning by Nigel Wray and the family are very much those structures now.

“Coaching-wise, they have had real consistency, continuity but they have tweaked things.

“You have got Joe Shaw there who is the head coach, Mark McCall who is a Saracens lifer but equally the players, if the majority of your squad are going off playing international rugby, there is a freshness about them when they leave and when they come back again and that helps to keep the coaches on their toes and it also helps to keep the players on their toes.

“They have also recruited exceptionally well in and around that international quality. Look at some of the players, the likes of Tom Willis, the Argentinian chap in the back row (Juan Martin Gonzalo Samso), they are always keeping one eye on the future, they are always looking to challenge their playing group to tell certain players you might be an international but you have got to be playing well to get in this team.

“And their coaching is exceptional. They are very much the team to beat and having regathered and regained the Premiership title, their big challenge now will be to see how much they can impact on European rugby which has been dominated by the French and the Irish teams.”

• Watch Harlequins vs Saracens exclusively live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+ from 5:15pm on Saturday, November 18. Stream the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Derby Weekend live on discovery+ or watch on TNT Sports channels on BT, Sky and Virgin Media. This isn’t Just Rugby, This is Personal. For more info visit: tntsports.co.uk/rugby