Saracens sink Henley in St Albans... |
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Academy winger Noah Cato, making his first start after a month long lay off, starred in the win scoring four tries, three of them in just 20 minutes and stand in stand off Andy Farrell maintained a 100% record with the boot by kicking 14 points. Saracens dominated the first half with the first of their five tries in the period coming after just five minutes with Cato squeezing in to score in the corner after good work from the forwards. Farrell added the touch line conversion and minutes later he was called to the opposite wing to convert Tevita Vaikona’s try after the winger had powered over the line just inside the corner flag. Visitors Henley hit back after fifteen minutes to make the scores 14-5 with a try of their own after a catch and drive, but it was cancelled out almost immediately by Cato after Farrell had kicked a penalty to the corner from half way. With the forwards providing a solid platform from the lineout the ball was spun quickly along the line with Farrell taking and receiving the ball twice before it found it’s way to Cato. The winger then put his foot down to beat the cover defence for a very well worked try. The home side were now 21-5 in front, after Farrell had added another touchline conversion, but they weren’t going to relent and on the half hour mark Saracens crossed the line for their fourth try and Cato’s hatrick. From good ball inside their own half the ball was worked down the blindside until the pace of full back James Tirrell sparked a gap and through sped Cato. The visitors had no answer to his pace and the winger sprinted in 50 metres for a superb try, again Farrell added the tricky conversion. The last score of the half came after Henley were penalised for persistent infringing as their scrum creaked under the pressure from the Saracens eight at close range. In the end referee Roy Maybank had no choice but to walk between the posts as another scrum disintegrated to award Saracens a penalty try handing Farrell his first simple conversion of the night, an attempt which he took with ease. With the half time score at 35-5 the game was all but won but that wasn’t the point of the fixture, it was all about valuable match practice for the mix of first team regulars and Academy players and they certainly got a work out in the second period. Henley tightened up their game in the last 40 and Saracens lost a little of their composure with the game already beyond doubt. This allowed the visitors a chance to gain some much needed possession and for the opening twenty minutes of the half they kept Saracens restricted to their own half. As the period neared the halfway point Saracens had been encamped on their line for near on ten minutes, but resolute defence saw them keep a clean sheet. To rub salt into the wound when Saracens finally did manage to regain possession they broke into Henley’s half, through an excellent Noah Cato clearance kick, and then promptly scored from the next phase of possession with Cato the recipient of a long miss pass from Farrell. Despite the half not providing as many tries as the first James Tirrell kept the crowd entertained with his pace, determination and guile. The scrum half, turned full back was part of everything good and his enthusiasm kept the home side going. Henley eventually crossed the line for the second try after good pressure on the Saracens line saw the forwards drive over from close range but Saracens had the last word after Tirrell and Adam Powell mixed well to eat up 60 metres taking play to within 5 metres of the Henley line. Alan Dickens picked up the ball from the base of a ruck 5 metres out and skipped over for Saracens’ seventh try of the game. Farrell made it seven from seven with the last kick of the game and Saracens had notched up their second victory in this series of friendly fixtures. All in all it was a good performance by the home side and Academy Manager Mike Hynard was particularly pleased with way that the team played together. “I was very pleased with the first half performance,” commented Hynard after the game, “I thought the boys played well. We had a good mixture of youth and experience and we took our chances. “A couple of the youngsters, particularly Noah Cato who has just come back from injury, had really good games. In fact Noah looked very sharp in attack and the finishing in his four tries was impressive, “James Tirrell continued to do well, this time starting at full back, and he got through a lot of work and I was pleased with the performance up front. “The more experienced guys like Shane Byrne and Tom Ryder, guys you’d expect to lead by example, did just that, and that’s the real purpose of these games - to get the younger players playing with them. Guys like Jordan Mitchell, who’s just turned 18, and Adam Bishop, who’s still at school and just 17, both came on and did a good job. It’s a great opportunity for these players to get a taste of senior rugby, and in order for it to be successful we need the more experienced guys to be there alongside them. “The second half saw us lose a little bit of focus and I was disappointed to concede two tries during the game but on the whole our defence functioned well. “During the half it was also great to see Adam Powell back in action and he made a real impact from the bench. He set up our last try and I’m sure after a few more A Team games and he’ll start to push for a place in the matchday 22. “Lastly Andy Farrell did what we asked of him at 10. He kicked his goals and marshalled the back line well and took another step forwards this evening and it was pleasing to see. “We’ve now got Northampton next Monday back here again, which will be a step up for the boys, and then a fortnight later and it’s back into the Guinness A League.” |
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