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'Ugly and horrible': Mark McCall reacts to humbling Saracens' loss
By PA
Mark McCall believes it is all about how Saracens respond after the six-time champions suffered a record Gallagher Premiership defeat.
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A 68-10 loss against leaders Bath at the Recreation Ground was their heaviest in the top-flight, eclipsing a 55-point reversal against Exeter in October 2023.
Saracens, who had flanker Toby Knight sent off after just 14 minutes and saw the likes of Nick Isiekwe and Theo McFarland suffer game-ending injuries, conceded 10 tries.
“Today is a big moment because when these thunderbolts come along – which they have in previous seasons – it is how you respond to it which defines the rest of the season,” Saracens rugby director McCall said.
“The experience is ugly and horrible, to be honest, but it is how you respond to something like that happening which can make or break your season.
“We were disappointed with how we reacted to being down to 14 men, but there were a lot of moving parts with the injuries that we got.
“There was lots of fight from the players, but that fight became more individual as the game wore on, which sometimes can happen, and they were able to take advantage of that.
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“That doesn’t reflect anything I have seen so far this season, and it is only a problem if you don’t do something about it. We have got a big week with Bristol coming to our place, which is going to be Jamie George’s 300th game for the club.
“They are a proud group of players. It is a younger group, and they are not accustomed to being on the back of something like that today.
“It will sting for the weekend, but we have got to get back together. We have been a lot better than that in all the rest of the games this year.
“Bath were great today. They are strong in all areas, and the foundation of their team is their front-row, which is outstanding. They have got Ben (Spencer) and Finn Russell at half-back, and they pulled the strings.”
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Bath had a bonus point secured before half-time, such was their dominance of an opening 40 minutes that saw Knight sent off following direct head contact in a challenge on Bath centre Ollie Lawrence, and Saracens had a mountain to climb after that, and full-back Liam Williams yellow-carded.
Bath gained an early penalty try before prop Thomas du Toit, centre Cameron Redpath and wing Will Muir touched down before the interval, while Finn Russell kicked three conversions.
Joe Cokanasiga (2), Lawrence and Sam Underhill added second-half touchdowns, as Muir completed a hat-trick, with Russell booting five more conversions, and Saracens had no answer apart from Kapeli Pifeleti’s late try, plus a Fergus Burke penalty and conversion.
Bath are now five points clear at the Premiership summit ahead of a trip to reigning champions Northampton on January 5.
“We have become consistent,” Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan said. “At half-time we said about being ruthless, and we won the second half 40-7.
“We scored 10 tries to one, but if I put the game in a block, red cards are very difficult and our big thing was to focus on ourselves and not get distracted.
“We were good, our decision-making was good and we didn’t get loose. There were five points on offer and we took five points, but you are never as good as they say and never as bad as they say.
“We want to continually get better, we are dreaming big dreams, but that is on the inside of the circle.
“It is all about performance, it is not about the log. It is never done until it is done. We will just try and get as many points as we can, see where we are in May and take it from there.”
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