So the first drive for 5 of the year is upon us as Leinster face Saracens in St James Park at 5pm tomorrow evening. They take on Saracens who are trying to win a third European title. This is the game everyone has wished for as we have heard so much from the English media about how Saracens have reinvented the wheel and have a superior “culture” to everyone else in World Rugby. It is only in the last 10 years that Saracens developed this much vaunted “culture”.
Nigel Wray has pumped millions into Saracens to put them on this upward curve. They are a well drilled team and Mark Mc Call has a good sharp coaching team around him with Kevin Sorrell and Alex Sanderson in charge of attack and defence.
These men have been in and around Saracens for many years and are well versed in the way that Saracens works. They did not reinvent the wheel although it does seem that people seem so keen to point out that Saracens have done things differently but so many clubs have tried those different ways and with varying degrees of success.
For all the talk, Saracens have to be admired with how ruthless they have been in the last few years. They have managed to get rid of the choker tag because Nigel Wray tried this slightly differently around 20 years ago when he signed guys like Paul Wallace and Kieran Bracken and Francois Pienaar and they didn’t make a any real dent into European or League action at that point.
But 20 years on, the same team is really breaking down all those barriers and winning many trophies and also they are developing their own players as 16 of the 23 to play tomorrow are from their own academy. Leinster likewise will have academy talent on show with Ross Byrne, Max Deegan, Sean O Brien and Rhys Ruddock in there 23.
Both clubs have put time and money into developing their own talent and that talent will get the chance to show off on the biggest stage in St James Park. Both teams seem to be now leading the way in allowing young players the opportunity to play in the big games. Hugh O Sullivan gets into the Leinster 23 to replace Jamison Gibson Park with James Lowe and Scott Fardy in the starting team. Both men have played key roles in Leinster’s run to the Final this year and will be critical to Leinster’s chances in their quest for a 5th title.
This is as I have already alluded to is the game everyone has waited for at this stage after Leinster beat Saracens at the quarter final stage last year. Mark Mc Call will have learned plenty from that game as Leo Cullen will have so it is set to be a real scrape for European supremacy. So many have found it hard to pick a winner but this is the two best sides in Ireland and England taking each other on.
Prediction time, I think Leinster will come out on top but like most Finals it will be tight. There will only be between 3 and 7 points between the sides……. May the best team win…..