In the week where Nigel Wray stood down from his role as Chairman of Saracens, his team put in a performance he would have been proud of. The game finished 62-5 with the north-London side dominating proceedings from start to finish. Except for a wonderful individual score from Ed Fidow, Worcester Warriors never had a sniff.
Nigel Wray’s pre-match notes contained just the single paragraph on his departure as chairman of Saracens which has dominated discourse this week. He echoed his statement earlier in the week and said “it is the right moment to stand down”. And that he wanted to “just enjoy being a fan again”.
The adoration was clear to all at Allianz Park with rapturous cheers and applause when Wray was spotted on the big screen.
Devastating Defeat for Worcester Warriors
Worcester Warriors came into this game sitting pretty in the top half of the Premiership table. This defeat drops them down the table to seventh place and only six points off 11th place Leicester thanksto their win earlier in the day.
Alan Solomons was quick to praise Saracens’ performance stating:
“we were comprehensively outplayed today by a side that played magnificently”
Solomons went on to say that the key issue his side faced was that they “were unable to stop their [Saracens] momentum”. “We know they’re a momentum team” said Solomons and that appeared to be the key difference on the day.
Update on Michael Fatialofa
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In the 51st minute, Michael Fatialofa went down with a nasty looking injury. The medical team carried him off on a stretcher much to the concern of everyone at the ground.
Alan Solomons cut a worried figure after the game. The Worcester Warriors Director of Rugby confirmed it was in fact a neck injury. Solomons said “a neck injury like that is a massive concern and I am worried about him”. Afterwards, all Solomons could say was that Fatialofa had gone to the hospital with a team-mate and the team doctor.
Ben Earl Shines Again
Match Action | @BenEarlba goes over for the first try of the game! pic.twitter.com/5aOM3Weo8W
— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) January 4, 2020
The Saracens flanker has been on fire this season and he kept it going again. Earl opened the scoring with a well-taken try but was equally destructive in defence and at the breakdown.
McCall Hails Young Guns
Once again Saracens’ young players shone through amongst their established stars. The performance of these individuals has been “the real positive narrative of the season” for McCall.
The Saracens Director of Rugby heaped praise on the likes of Rotimi Segun, Joel Kpoku and Manu Vunipola. He noted the importance of the young fly-half having a chance to play alongside Owen Farrell in the final stages of the game.
“those players are going to get more and more chances”
Because Saracens likely to lose a number of stars to the Six Nations in a few weeks time the performance of these young players will be key. Overall though Saracens march on as they continue to chip away at their points deficit.
“Main Photo Credits”
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