MATCH REPORT - Thamesians Vs Saracens ARFC

SARACENS ARE FROZEN OUT

Forget about Brexit, the World Cup and whoever ends up winning Strictly Come Dancing; what people will remember about 2018 will be the weather, with a record breaking summer that seemed to last forever.

So, as we gathered at Southgate to head off for south London, it seemed we would be blessed with another lovely day, but it was a different story when we arrived at Thamesians. Grey skies and a biting cold wind. Given that, between them the two sides ran up an eventual combined score of more than a point a minute. That may have been down to the players wanting to just keep running to keep warm.

If there is one thing you can say about Saracens this season so far it is that the squad appear to have found a trend . The latest is conceding a try in the first minute of the game. It happened last week and yet again this week and equally Saracens scored a try straight from the restart. 7-7 and only three minutes played. Exciting stuff, but perhaps something the squad can think about?

Both sides continued to play fast end to end open running rugby. But then came possibly the defining moment of the game. Thamesians were on the Saracens’ 22 and were awarded a penalty resulting in a sin binning for Sarries. The offer of a kick at the posts was turned down in favour of a kick to the line. Thamesians secured their own ball and the pack drove over the Saracens’ line.

Thamesians took full advantage of the sin binning and by the time Sarries were back to full strength the home side were 24-7 ahead. Sarries’ heads did not drop and soon closed the gap with a converted try. 24 -14.

There seemed to be a conscious decision to keep attacking from both sides and by half time the home team were 36 - 28 ahead, but the game was still in the balance. But it had come at a cost for both sides with players leaving the field with injuries, though Saracens suffered the worst.

Within minutes of the restart the game was over. Two quick tries saw the home team stretch the lead to 41-28. Yet Sarries’ heads did not drop and kept the opposition at bay for long periods and managed to launch attacks of their own but without crossing the line.

With only minutes to go before the final whistle Thamesians ran in two more swift tries. Saracens did not give up however and clawed one back in the dying moments.

The final score: 53 -35.

Thank you to Gary Donovan for the match report

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/daniel_fear/30647598607/in/feed