Carl Kirwan, the London Welsh captain, once had a spell as a scaffolder on a North Sea oil rig. After his side had been submerged beneath wave after wave of Saracens attacks the flanker mused: “A year in the North Sea was probably easier than 80 minutes out there.”
For the Premiership’s bottom club a spot of gallows humour did not go amiss. This is the season of excess and Saracens had gorged themselves on 11 tries to inflict the worst defeat yet on Welsh in this painful return to the top table. On Boxing Day Welsh travel to London Irish. The good news is that Irish are only a place above them in the division. The bad news is that Welsh are 11 points behind them.
“We can’t beat about the bush. It is a hugely important game for us,” said Kirwan, who has missed most of the season, after only recently regaining his place in the side following an ankle injury. Justin Burnell, Welsh’s director of rugby, was equally honest, admitting his side had suffered a good hiding and it is becoming difficult to lift spirits. Arithmetically his side are still afloat in the Premiership but, realistically, Welsh are now in the business of damage limitation.
Burnell was remarkably cheery after the match in contrast to Saracens’ chief executive, Edward Griffiths, who became tetchy when asked about another kind of storm lapping at the door of his club, the row about the Premiership’s £5m salary cap and reports that Saracens and Bath are under scrutiny over alleged breaches. Griffiths, who has called for an end to the cap on players’ wages, refused to discuss the matter.
On the pitch his side showed their ruthlessness against a team assembled quickly after securing promotion last June and whose playing wage bill hardly touches £3m. Nowhere was the contrast in fortunes more marked than at fly-half. Piri Weepu, the former All Blacks scrum-half, was moved to No10 for Welsh and up against Owen Farrell. Weepu, Welsh’s marquee summer signing, has not had a happy time at his new club and spent the afternoon in desperate defensive mode as Farrell kicked 23 points and ran the show. If Farrell has suffered a jolt in confidence since losing his England place to George Ford, it did not show here. His passing and decision-making were excellent.
“You don’t think about the quality of the opposition. We just wanted to do the right thing. There were times when we could have kept the ball better,” said Farrell, ever the perfectionist. “To let them score that try was a bit disappointing but as a whole we played pretty well. I am just enjoying playing and not even thinking about the Six Nations. I have not played too much rugby this year so I am enjoying getting back out there, week-in, week-out and getting the ball in my hands.”
Mako Vunipola, restored to the Saracens front row after dislocating his knee in the Heineken Cup final, is making a big impact again and capped an impressive scrummaging display with two tries. Vunipola is playing well enough to suggest that the battle to be England’s loosehead in the new year will not just be between Alex Corbisiero and Joe Marler.
But because it was so one-sided there was a low-key feel to the afternoon in Barnet. Despite, or because of, the dozen tries, the loudest cheer came when Mouritz Botha, the South African-born lock who won 10 England caps, came on as a second-half replacement. The man with the Boris Johnson haircut was making his final Saracens appearance before his move to Durban where he is joining the Sharks.
Saracens Ransom; Ashton, Bosch (Tomkins, 62), Taylor (Hodgson, 57), Wyles; Farrell, De Kock (Wigglesworth, 56); M Vunipola (Barrington, 47), Sharman (George, h-t), Johnston (Du Plessis, 47), Kruis, Hamilton (Botha, 58), Wray (B Vunipola, 60), Brown, Joubert (capt).
Tries M Vunipola 2, Sharman, Kruis, Ashton, Wray, Barrington, Wigglesworth 3, Ransom. Cons Farrell 10. Pen Farrell.
London Welsh Robinson; Stegmann, Reynolds (May, 62), Barkley, Kear; Weepu, Lewis; Reeves (Trevett, h-t), Britton (Morris, 47), Vea (Cooper, 61), Browne (Schofield, 61), Down, McCaffrey, Kirwan (capt), Fonua. Sin-bin Browne, 50, McCaffrey, 79. Try Kear. Con Robinson.
Referee I Tempest (Liverpool). Attendance: 8,037.
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