Try-fest at Allianz Park as Saracens U18 come out on top

There was plenty of attacking prowess on show as Saracens U18 were 38-31 winners over London Irish U18. With a tight and nervy affair in the first half, the game opened up in the second half with a total of nine tries in the 35 minute period. Despite a late surge by London Irish it was Saracens that had enough to see out the victory.

Saracens U18 victorious over Irish in a
thrilling game at Allianz Park

Both Saracens and London Irish have struggled to find form so far in this season’s RFU Under 18 League, with both teams with only the one win as we approach the latter stages of fixtures. Saracens had been on the wrong end of a heavy score line against Gloucester and a narrow loss against an undefeated Harlequins side. However with a 59-21 victory over Bristol last week, they would be looking to build on their impressive performance.

London Irish, having played one more fixture than Saracens, have put in good performances but have failed to see games out, with second half come backs for Gloucester & Exeter. However, a dramatic last minute victory in Bath last week saw them pick up their first victory of the season. With both sides having shown plenty of attacking ability throughout the season, it was sure to be a high scoring affair. With conditions dry but cold, the artificial surface at Allianz Park provided the perfect surface for an expansive game.

                The first half began with solid defensive efforts, with neither side able to gain a foothold with play broken up by a number of infringements. Despite Saracens with bulk of territory in the early stages it was Irish with the first real threat but a chip through was knocked on over the line. It was Saracens who finished the half the stronger of the two sides with two tries just before the break. The first try came from a quick tap penalty and a well delayed pass from fly-half Manu Vunipola to put Josh Hallett in. As London Irish sought to attack from deep a huge tackle from Oli Morris put the London Irish defence on the back foot, a quick turnover from the resulting ruck meant Cameron Boon had an easy finish to make the score 12-0 at the break.

                Saracens continued to pile on the pressure at the start of the second half but it was London Irish who struck first with a try from deep. A quick counter attack from Irish saw scrum half Harry Delaney break 90m down the wing to be hauled down just short, but Ronan Maloney finished off the score for Irish. As both sides begin to make changes the game began to open up with both sides favouring attack from deep inside their own half. It was Saracens who extended their lead with a fortunate bounce on the artificial surface as a chip over the top beat two Irish defenders and gave Saracens winger David Jimoh a run in unopposed.

                Irish hit back immediately from the kick-off, running the ball from inside their own 22m. This time a great offload out of the tackle put Connor Burns in behind the line, some great footwork put him past several Saracens’ defenders on his way to the try line, the conversion putting Irish back to within one score of Saracens. However, Irish’s ambition proved costly as they went back on the attack from deep, this time a quick turnover gave Saracens the advantage inside the Irish territory. As the ball was spun wide Saracens lock Andy Christie collected the ball and a powerful hand-off and carry to the line put him over in the corner, extending Saracens’ advantage.

                The tries continued to come thick and fast as both sides showed a willingness to spread the ball out wide. This time the kick through, which had worked so affectively for Saracens, was blocked by Irish and collected well by Irish’s Fergus Guiry who used his pace from 50m to race to the try line. Irish continued to press Saracens and a kick through from Irish was collected well by fly-half Russell Bennett, and a good run from him put Irish in a threatening position inside the 22m and a strong carry from Irish finished the score to put them in the lead for the first time in the game.

    

            As the game entered the latter stages and after a game played at an extremely high tempo it was Saracens who made the most of some missed tackles from Irish as they punctured a hole in the defence. As Irish tried to scramble their defence it was a quick dart from Saracens from the breakdown which saw the scrum half scamper over the line to put Saracens back in the lead. And Saracens extended that lead once again immediately from the kick-off, as they collected the high ball. Several offloads in the tackle and good running lines puts them through the Irish defence and over to put the game out of Irish’s reach.

                It was Irish who finished the game with final say on the scoreboard as a neat offload found Connor Burns who had the pace to score the game’s 11^th and final try, but it wasn’t enough for Irish as the full-time whistle saw Saracens 38-31 victors.

                It was a highly entertaining game at Allianz Park and credit goes to both sides for the ambition and skills on show. There was high class handling on show as the game opened up in the second half with a number of offloads saw opportunities to get in behind defence. Despite the high intensity at which the game was played, both sides continued to press until the final whistle. While neither side really outplayed the other, Saracens deserved the victory as they were more clinical in attack and their defence in the first half held London Irish to nil at the break.

                London Irish will be disappointed to have fought back several times to get within one score, and indeed lead Saracens in the second half, to let Saracens pull away at the end of the match. But there should be no shame in a very strong and committed performance from the entire squad, including two players making the step up from U16 level to cover injuries in the squad. While they have only picked up one win in their five games so far this season, it doesn’t represent some very strong performances and tight games that have slipped away. There is clear leadership ability in the squad with both Ben Loader and Josh Basham continuing to impress with individual performance and in character. London Irish will also continue to be pleased with the contribution from the front row as Connor, Torpey & Baker all put in impressive performances with strong tackling around the park and good work at the breakdown. Slick handling throughout the backline gave Burns, Maloney & Guiry opportunities to show the pace they possess. While Irish are now unable to reach finals day in February, they will hope they are able to put in a strong performance and pick up a second victory against a Bristol side who have also struggled to find form this season. Irish’s last fixture this season will take place at Hazelwood next Saturday, February 4^th.

                Saracens, with two games still remaining in this season’s league, will be hoping for big results against a very strong Exeter outfit at Sandy Park next Sunday, and against Bath at Allianz the following week. Saracens can be pleased with a number of performances from their side with Manu Vunipola pulling the strings well from fly-half with a number of well-placed kicks and well timed passes. There were also clinical finishes and good pace from the outside backs, with Josh Hallett, Oli Morris & David Jimoh all crossing the whitewash. While up front both locks in Cameron Boon & Joel Kpoku and flanker Andy Christie put in powerful performances in the tackle area and showed they were comfortable with ball in hand. Saracens remain outside the top three spots in the southern pool needed to reach finals day, and will need the help of other results in the last two weeks if they are to make it into those qualifications spots, but will be focused on their own games hoping to continue to build on their victories over Bristol & London Irish.