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'Fergus had an impressive debut. He is a different personality to Owen'
By PA
Gloucester head coach George Skivington admitted “losing the opening game is tough to take” after clinical Saracens came away from Kingsholm with a 35-26 victory.
Saracens were good value for their win, with the final scoreline flattering their opponents as Gloucester scored 14 points in the closing stages to earn a bonus point.
The impressive Andy Onyeama-Christie scored two tries for Saracens, with Ivan van Zyl and Tobias Elliott also going over as Fergus Burke kicked two conversions and two penalties.
Freddie Thomas, Freddie Clarke, Jack Clement and Seb Blake scored tries for Gloucester, with George Barton adding three conversions.
Skivington said: “I’m disappointed to lose as we knew what Sarries would bring as they are a clinical side.
“Every ball we dropped they capitalised on and our inability to get on the front foot cost us.
“The positive is that we played with endeavour for the whole 80 minutes and to get a bonus point at the end was pleasing, but we know the Premiership is a relentless league.
“We dropped a lot of balls in the first half as their line-speed shot us down and their work at the breakdown was outstanding.
“We secured a lot of good positions but gave away some soft penalties to let them off the hook, so losing the opening game is tough to take.”
Saracens’ director of rugby Mark McCall was delighted with the opening-day performance after seeing club stalwarts Owen Farrell, Mako and Billy Vunipola and Sean Maitland all depart during the summer.
He said: “We approached pre-season differently as we’ve got a younger squad with a pack which is more athletic and faster so we were able to work them harder. Remarkably Maro Itoje at 29 is the oldest by some distance.
“Fergus (Burke) had an impressive debut. He is a different personality to Owen (Farrell) but he has the same skill-set to him by being able to pass and kick excellently.
“Obviously the victory is pleasing but today was about how we approached the game in terms of effort and competition.
“Parts of our rugby can improve but I’m more than happy with the the energy and the buzz factor we showed towards the game, with our new skipper Maro (Itoje) looking as if he means business.”
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Latest Comments
I agree with you on much of this, Chris - and was equally disappointed by the crowd last weekend in Twickenham. Club crowds are improving much more steadily than those at Test matches, but they are improving - and that'll only be bolstered by A) the increasing men's-women's alignments B) a successful World Cup. Where we differ is the geographical spread of RWC25, which I think is a brilliant and important idea. Even if we don't sell things out up North or away from London - accessibility and nation-wide inspiration is crucial. Out of curiosity, when would you host a World Cup, calendar-wise?
Go to commentsJaw-dropping stats.
92% possession in the last 10 minutes, with the scoreboard at 29-28, but unable to find the 2 points necessary. Ouch!
Also, over the course of the game the Boks had 40% more passes, 80% more carries, and 50% more line breaks, but fewer points on the board. Is that a new-fangled attack that is still not working, or is the new normal for the Boks to work that much harder for their points than their opponents do?
But the real problem was defense. 28 points should be enough to win a game. The Boks are at their best when they consistently limit their opponents to 15 points or less. That's a good goal for any team. Argentina is a good (and under-rated) team, but the Boks have stopped good teams before.
Rassie needs to spend the next week figuring out why a backline that is full of double RWC winners has become so porous. The KLA yellow card explains some of it, but the Boks usually adapt. It may be time to call his buddy Nienaber. One part of it is that if you're going to de-emphasize the territorial game, then there is more pressure to minimize turnovers.
Manie will be wishing that there was a good kicker elsewhere in the team, so that he could contest for #10 without having to be a BMT place kicker. SA supporters were expecting something like the end of the Currie Cup final, but with a much easier kick. Unfortunately Manie doesn't seem to improve his kicking accuracy under pressure.
It has to be said: Congrats to Argentina.
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