In the Sunday match Sarries showed what it takes to be runaway leaders year after year. A thoroughly talented and dogged side like Gloucester-Hartpury just couldn’t keep them from adding to their harvest of tries.
Poppy Cleall is like a one-woman-band. There are times when she seems to be an entire team. Her offloads are every bit as invaluable as her drives and tackles. She scored a modest two tries with pirouettes making it next to impossible to halt her passage over the line.
But then Sarries have back-up – right across the field. Even if Cleall and Marlie Packer sat down on the 4G for a couple of minutes – while the coaching staff are looking the other way – Sarries offer their opposition problems fore and aft. Take the No 10 slot: after Zoe Harrison had made her mark with a smooth delivery to her back line plus place-kicks and relieving kicks, Holly Aitchison moved in there from No 12 to provide a streamlined service with hand and foot. When she had to hobble off, in came Sarah McKenna from full-back to show her very best form with her handling and deceptive runs.
Three star performers for one position.
Any number of other forwards can emulate Rocky Clark’s unforgiving thrusts and clawing tackles.
Glos-Pury kept counter-attacking all through. Mo Hunt is the starting-switch, and when Bianca Blackburn finally took her place, she made sure her team kept on the front foot wherever possible.
The trouble in the first half was that promising moves needed a last support player to clinch the deal. Too often they finished agonisingly close to the line, but couldn’t get over. That remained true in particular of the driving maul. They weren’t helped by occasional slackness, a double roll here, a forward pass there.
Kelly Smith has spent much of the season unable to get her hands on the ball often enough. Today she waited till well into the second half before rounding Lotte Clapp, no easy undertaking, to score wide right.
Right near the end they battered at the Sarries line, then swung the ball left. Millie Wood had to work hard but she got the ball down in the corner under huge pressure.
But a modest Sarries lead of 10-0 at the break turned into another demolition job in the second half.
Final Score: 36-10
Player of the Match: Poppy Cleall
Table P W L B Pts
Saracens 11 10 1 10 50
Loughborough 12 9 3 7 43
Harlequins 11 8 3 10 42
Wasps 10 8 2 7 39
Exeter 12 7 5 6 34
Glos-Pury 11 5 6 5 25
Bristol 12 4 8 6 22
Worcester 12 3 9 4 16
Sale 10 1 9 1 5
DMPDS 9 0 9 0 0
