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The 'no mean feat' that has pricked Saracens' European attention

(Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Saracens are back in European action this weekend following their one-season absence, the serial Champions Cup winners under Mark McCall preparing to play their first match in the second-tier Challenge Cup since the 2009/10 season when they featured in a pool containing Rovigo, Castres and Toulon. The London club didn’t make it to the knockout stages on that occasion, getting pipped by a point by Toulon, but one of the two French teams lying in wait for Saracens this time around will bring memories flooding back for McCall.

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Not long after he had resigned as the Ulster boss, McCall hooked up with Jeremy Davidson, his former Ulster, London Irish and Ireland teammate, in December 2007. The French outfit were under considerable pressure at the time and the assisting Irish duo didn’t last long there.

So hurt was McCall following his experience at Ulster that he even suggested during his time at Castres that he was likely to leave coaching and switch back into the legal world. However, Brendan Venter, another old London Irish colleague, tempted him to hook up with Saracens and the rest, as they say, is history, McCall at the heart of the transformation of the Londoners from also-rans to serial winners in England and at the highest level in Europe. 

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Ryan Wilson on almost becoming a Barbarian

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Ryan Wilson on almost becoming a Barbarian

While McCall was creating a legacy at Saracens, Davidson’s coaching career took a different path. He spent some time at Ulster before heading back to France and taking a circuitous route to the Top 14, turning tier-two Aurillac into a competitive outfit before taking an assistant’s position at Bordeaux. 

That eventually led to the top job at Brive and he will now clash with his old pal McCall next April in the final round of Pool 3’s Challenge Cup, a group that also contains Pau, London Irish and Edinburgh, the Scottish outfit who are first up for Saracens this Saturday at the StoneX.  

Brive finished last term eleventh in the Top 14 with eleven wins from 26 games and while they are currently one place worse off, twelfth with four wins from a dozen matches, McCall has got the utmost respect for what Davidson has so far achieved at Stade Amedee-Domenech. “I know Brive quite well, they have got Jeremy Davidson who I coached with at Castres when I was in France. 

“He is their head coach; obviously, Jeremy is from Ulster as well. And what Jeremy has done with the team over the last couple of years has been outstanding, where they won half of their games last year in the Top 14 which is no mean feat. 

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“And all of those wins were at home, and we are playing them away from home. I haven’t coached in France for a couple of years but I know how strongly it feels for those clubs to win at home, and just how their supporters get behind the team. So, it’s going to be a really good experience for us to go to these difficult places and see if we can get the job done.”

Having reached the semi-finals of the 2019/20 Champions Cup, Saracens were missing last season from Europe due to their automatic relegation to the Championship in England following breaches of the Premiership salary cap.

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J
JPM 54 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 56 minutes ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

12 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
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