Hill returns to action in victory for the A-Team |
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After a 16-month absence through a knee injury, Hill came through the game unscathed and it didn’t take him long to stamp his authority on the game. The match was just seconds old when Northampton were penalised in the centre of field for holding on and no guesses were needed as to who was at the bottom of the ruck as the pile of players got to their feet! Hill was only due to play the first half of the match and he came through well, looking strong in the tackle and in his overall support play. The game also saw a return to action of Thomas Castaignede. The Frenchman has only had 15 minutes of first team action this season because of a calf injury, but he came through 60 minutes of the game and looked sharp throughout from full back. It didn’t take long for Saracens to open the scoring in the friendly match. Turning down the chance to kick for goal, Andy Farrell went for touch and from the resulting lineout, it was Hill who was at the back of the maul to touch down in the corner. Farrell’s conversion dropped just short. Wing Noah Cato picked up from where he left off last week to grab the second of the match, going over in the corner after good work in the line from Castaignede. This time, Farrell found his range. Rodd Penney was the next to cross the line, cutting through the Saints defence after collecting a long Farrell miss-pass to score under the posts to give a simple conversion. Back row Tom Audley rounded off the scoring in the first half, taking advantage of a good surge from Moses Rauluni in the corner. Farrell added the extras to make it 26-0 at the interval. Hill, Rauluni and Richard Haughton made way for Richard Gill, Adam Powell and Mickey Wilson at the interval but it was the visitors who started well with Seamus Mallon chasing down a kick through from Stephen Myler to score. However, it wasn’t long before the Men In Black scored again in what was the try of the game. Running out of their own 22, nearly all of the Saracens players touched the ball before Penney eventually crossed for his second of the game. Cato also added a second when the Saracens forwards took a scrum against the head and Farrell released the wing for an easy run in and then added the conversion from the touchline. Don Barrell finished the scoring for Saracens as he powered over with a 20 metre run after being put through a gap from a clever inside pass from Farrell, but it was Northampton who had the final say in the match to score in the final play of the match, but it was too late for the visitors. “It was a really good performance, especially from some of the older guys who were coming back from injury,” explained A-Team coach Mike Hynard after the game. “The plan for Hilly was to only play for the first half and it’s great to see him come through unscathed and likewise for Thomas. “It’s good to see guys like that come into the team and wanting to do well and not just going through the motions. It’s also really good experience for the young guys who are in the side. “But while we are pleased, there is still plenty for us to work on and we face a massive test in two weeks time when we face Wasps who will be a strong outfit. But we are pleased that we have won another game and that the club is winning. There is real competition for places at the moment, not just to get into the first team but also the A-Team. “I believe that some of the rugby we have been playing is of Premiership standard and it’s great to see so many people coming along to watch us. The guys are already looking forward to the Wasps game. We’re hopeful of having back Tom Mercey, Ben Thomas and Alex Goode for that match who have all been carrying injuries recently. We’ve got a lot of quality to come back, but they may struggle to get in!” Saracens A-Team are next in action on Monday 13th November when London Wasps are the visitors to Old Albanians in the Guinness A-League. Kick off 7.30pm. |
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