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'My overall feeling was Mark's my friend, the biggest concern was for him'

(Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)

It was a jolting 70-word bolt from the blue statement that Saracens issued last Friday afternoon, announcing that long-serving boss Mark McCall was taking a break from his role due to medical reasons. There is still no clarity as to how long the hugely respected director of rugby will be away from his post but head coach Joe Shaw insisted this week it was business as usual at the London club despite the absence of their treasured Irishman. 

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That wasn’t the initial reaction, mind. Shaw and co understandably first had to absorb the shock that their friend would no longer be working with them for the next while. However, once that news sunk in, the show at Saracens got going again and they returned to Gallagher Premiership action 48 hours after the revelation about McCall. 

Shaw wasn’t present when a team that backs coach Kevin Sorrell took charge of was eventually beaten at Wasps, but delegating is something that the Saracens setup have become well used to in these pandemic times where someone’s availability can never be taken for granted due to the strict testing process and the results it churns out. 

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It’s why Shaw, one of ten staff members to ink contract extensions last April, has no major worries about heading up the Saracens operation with McCall indefinitely out of the loop. “The daunting prospect some might think isn’t that daunting because when you have got the likes of Kevin Sorrell, Dan Vickers, Adam Powell, Phil Morrow, it’s shared. It’s not a case of me just going, ‘Can you do this?’ They are already on it. 

“We have worked together for so long we know what needs to be done. It’s just a case of doing it. Doing press is different, Mark usually does that. When we talk about the selection we do that as a group, so there are little bits and bobs. Kev obviously took on the responsibility for last weekend when I wasn’t there.

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“All in all, we have lost somebody for a little while who is important to us and has an unbelievable rugby mind, but we have just got to share responsibility and kick on… The truth is as coaches we have all worked with each other for so long that just because you are an attack coach it doesn’t necessarily mean you just do attack. 

“You can do the defence, you can do the kicking so when these things arise like it has for all the clubs for a period of time with Covid in particular and people haven’t been around, you need people to be able to step up.”

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What was Shaw’s reaction, though, when he first learned Saracens would be without McCall for the next while? “I spoke to Phil, spoke to Mark and my overall feeling was Mark’s my friend so the biggest concern was for him. 

“The lucky thing for this group is the way it been put together from a management, backroom staff and even a squad point of view, when these kinds of things happen we want to be able to push forward the best way we can and with the senior staff we have got within the coaches, we will hopefully be in a position where we can do that.”

Shaw initially arrived at Saracens as an academy coach but he has been working with the senior team since 2013 and was promoted to head coach in January last year when Alex Sanderson exited to become director of rugby at Sale. What is his coaching style?   

“I started in the academy so I was a development coach and came up to be a performance coach but ultimately I’m relationship-based. I like to get the best out of the players, I like to empower the players with responsibility. It’s much like Mark really. I don’t like to say too much and just let hard work behind the scenes do the talking for us.”

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That hard work continues this Saturday with Bath the latest visitors to the StoneX in the Premiership. “The attitude for the majority of the game at Wasps was what we are looking for, to have that fight, to be able to scrap it out,” enthused Shaw. 

“We didn’t get some of our rugby right and that is the thing we have had to aim at for this weekend. We want the boys to go in with the same attitude they had for 80, 85 per cent of that game and we just need to be a little more accurate.”

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O
Oh no, not him again? 1 hour ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit
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