Saracens have been urged to summon up a “perfect performance” against a fired-up Toulon to clinch home advantage for the Champions Cup quarter-finals and put down a marker for the rest of the competition.
The defending champions needed a last-gasp try from Chris Ashton to secure a 22-22 draw away at the Scarlets last Sunday and, while they are already through to the knockout stages, their back-row forward Jackson Wray said they must play better against a Toulon side that need to win to make the last eight for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.
“This is a massive game,” said Wray. “We know to get that home advantage for the quarter-finals is vitally important and we feel like there is a lot more to come from us. We probably haven’t quite hit the heights of last season this year, although there have been glimpses of that in some games. So we are looking for that perfect performance and if we get near to that against Toulon hopefully we will get the win.”
That draw against Scarlets halted a 13-match winning streak in Europe but it is still 21 months since Saracens lost in the Champions Cup and Wray insisted they remain the team to beat.
“Once you have gone well in the competition and managed to win it, other teams will want to beat you more,” he said. “So we have a target on our backs but we enjoy that. And as long as we keep trying to improve on the training ground, and bring that attitude into our performances, I think we are going to go well but this weekend is the first step of a big series of games in the competition.”
Saracens have won their past 11 home games in Europe, averaging 42 points a game during that run. They have also won their past two fixtures against Toulon, including a 31-23 victory at the Stade Felix Mayol in October that was the French side’s first ever home defeat in the competition, but Wray expects a much tougher game on Saturday.
“They have some key players back who missed the game in October so they are going to be very dangerous,” he said. “But they are coming to our home pitch so for us it is about putting in a big performance and setting down a marker for the rest of the competition. We are expecting a fired-up Toulon and we are ready for that.”
Elsewhere on the final weekend of pool fixtures, Munster – who are already through to the last eight of the tournament for a record 16th time – will be guaranteed a home quarter-final if they beat Racing 92 in their Pool 1 match at Thomond Park. Glasgow will also make the last eight if they are able to beat Leicester at Welford Road and a losing bonus point could be enough depending on results elsewhere in the competition. But, while Glasgow ended a three-game losing streak against Leicester with a 29-point victory at home in round one they face a tough task against a Tigers side that have only lost one of their last 34 European games on home soil.
Meanwhile in Pool 5 Exeter also have a slim chance to make it through although they will have to shock already-qualified Clermont at the Stade Marcel-Michelin.
Wasps should secure a place in the knockout stages on Sunday if they beat Zebre, who are yet to secure a point in the competition, in their Pool 2 encounter while in the same group Connacht travel to Toulouse also needing a win to confirm a place in the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. The odds might appear to be against the Irish side but they will draw comfort from the fact that they won their last away game in Toulouse back in December 2013.
