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'Ugly and horrible': Mark McCall reacts to humbling Saracens' loss

By PA
Bath Rugby v Saracens – Gallagher Premiership – The Recreation Ground

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.

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    “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.

    Fixture
    Gallagher Premiership
    Bath
    68 - 10
    Full-time
    Saracens
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    “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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    J
    JW 3 hours ago
    Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

    Players like Prendergast and Finn Smith already have a few seasons at top club level under their belt and are now test players, at an age when NZ players make their debuts in SR.

    That’s just a difference in standards. You’re confusing SR for being their local domestic comps, where it’s more accurately comparable to Champions Cup, apart from that teams are happy to throw games as it’s in a bit of a limbo in terms of importance atm.


    All these kids have been playing for a comparable NPC team for years now. Sam is no where near ready for tests but he has a great temperament, much like Sextons, that makes it a good choice to speed up his development. He wasn’t even a comparable Super Rugby starter before playing for Ireland, so not a great comparison.


    Fin would be much better example, but then England don’t have 3 world class Test tens in front of him (not that I’d put Beauden their but obviously in terms of young NZ players chances, he is). Would he otherwise have debuted at the same age as Fergus Burke (injury and leaving withstanding), around 24, a couple of years later? England also aren’t as pedantic to who they give jerseys to, in NZ a test jersey is very hard earned for the most part.


    In general I think the effects are as you say, but the only difference is the money involved, as you yourself said, their paths are just as all over the show being loaned out playing for clubs etc. My solution to that, and what you perceive as the problem, would be to introduce university football that utilitizes the large investment they have into high performance sport.

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    J
    Jennifer Ross 5 hours ago
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