Saracens – an old grey dog

Well, that was a fun day – heading up to Heywood Road first thing for the women’s game, then dashing off to the Trafford Centre to catch the men playing later in the afternoon.

It’s been a busy week for me following those two games, so this is going to be a quick recap of them, more for the sake of publishing something than to do any in-depth analysis. I should be back to more ‘normal’ screeds once the PREM~~iership~~ gets under way.

Sale Sharks 14 Saracens 27 (PWRC)

Given that in last year’s PWR, Saracens were 26-0 up by half-time, this defeat is still evidence of a remarkable improvement in the Sale women’s team.

I’m not going to read anything into this performance: I know that both teams are missing players, but I’ve seen enough to anticipate at least a decent mid-table finish this year. As I said last week, there’s something different about the team’s approach. It’s hard to quantify, but it mostly comes down to a feeling: that there’s more purpose about their play, a stronger intent.

And, let’s face it, Saracens were flattered by the scoreline. It was only a breakaway try when Sale were pressing for a potentially winning score that made the gap as wide as it is.

I’ve still got a good feeling about this season.

Sale Sharks 24 Bristol Bears 15 (PRC)

And so, over to what we now have to call the other Corpaq Stadium for the men to take on Bristol.

I was a bit apprehensive about this, as we were fielding a very mixed first/academy team (with significant international absences). In contrast, Bristol seemed to be taking it seriously, with many of their top players out there.

The first seemed to justify the gloomy predictions, as Bristol piled on a 12-5 lead by halftime, without seeming to be trying.

But then, Sale seem to have the measure of Bristol. Keep van Rensburg and Ibitoye quiet, and Briz don’t have the fluency that they’re known for.

So it was that the tide turned in the second half as converted tries from Jibulu and Hanson took Sale to a seven-point lead. McGinty pulled a penalty back, but a late try from Ollie Davis meant we took the full five points from the game and denied Bristol anything.

Kudos this week to all the women against Sarries. What I said last week still applies, and again I’m going to single out Sharifa Kasolo. Very impressive.

The men all stepped up following the game that shall not be mentioned the week before. It was a shame that Obi Ene went off injured after half an hour, as he’s looked good every time I’ve watched him. Lots of potential there.

I think we may have a second Asher in the shape of our new hooker: that was a seriously impressive outing. And, yes, I’m going to say it…

I like the cut of his jib.

Sorry.

I thought Tom Curtis had his best game in a while, and Flats seems to have found the fountain of youth.

So, that’s it for the men: one game, then a bye week. Hardly seems worth it, does it? Come back a week later for the first of four PREM~~iership~~ games in four months up to the end of the year. Talk about giving the supporters what they want and keeping the crowd’s interest…

Yes, actually, can we talk about that? Because the powers that be don’t seem to give a toss.

As for the women, they go down to Bristol for round four of the PWRC. A win there should see them through to the knock-out stages (although it’s hard to be sure as the PWR website is woefully short of useful details like tables and so on). Good luck to them, but even if they don’t manage the win, they’ve shown me enough that I’m looking forward to the league campaign.