The London double-header is no longer able to live up to its billing with London Irish in Championship exile and Wasps escaping to Coventry. The allure of two teams expected to be involved in the relegation struggle kept the crowd below 50,000, still double what Saracens and Harlequins would attract between them on an average weekend, and on the evidence of Saturday Worcester have more reasons to be fearful than promoted Bristol.
Worcester’s initial defiance against an unusually wan Saracens meant they went into the interval only three points down in a half of three penalties but the physical toll of almost constant defending resulted in their collapse and Ben Spencer’s solo try wrapped up a 35-3 bonus-point victory for Saracens.
While Worcester barely foiled an attacking shot, Bristol outscored Harlequins three tries to two in the second match, which was played in the rain, on their first outing in the Premiership since being relegated in 2009. Bristol made 16 clean breaks to their opponents’ three and, despite the conditions, made 12 offloads but indiscipline cost them as they went down 21-19.
“Harlequins were struggling to break us down in attack but we gave penalties away and that brought the maul into play,” Andy Robinson, the Bristol director of rugby, said. “Our discipline was poor and it is vital we strive to get referees on our side. We have a number of players who were in the Championship last season and the question was whether they could step up. The answer at Twickenham was, yes, but we have to make sure they do it week in, week out.”
Promoted sides have struggled to cope with the increased pace of the game in the Premiership but Robinson tailored summer training to ensure his players were able to bridge the considerable divide and the squad spent time training at Font Romeu in the Pyrenees. They were there when the long-distance runner Mo Farah was preparing for the Olympics.
“When you watch a guy like him training and the effort he puts in it is inspirational,” Robinson said. “My only fear was our kit man walking across the track and colliding with him! Our training sessions have been intense with quite a bit of contact and our next game will be physical against Northampton at Ashton Gate on Sunday.”
It was a case of so near, so Farah, Bristol struggled to overcome the loss of their Wales centre Gavin Henson after 29 minutes. He sustained a leg injury after being tackled late by the England prop Joe Marler and some of the attacking fluency went with him.
The Harlequins captain, Danny Care, relieved in victory after his side trailed 14-3 two minutes before the break, believes the West Country club showed they have what it takes to survive in the top flight.
“They were incredibly competitive and fought for everything,” he said. “They made it really hard for us and they will compete in this league. I think the conditions suited them and we need to become better at playing in wet weather, doing the basics well.”
While Bristol had something to take back with them on the trip home, and not only a bonus point, Worcester had only their initial defensive resilience to clutch. They were rarely seen as an attacking force, missing Chris Pennell, Bryce Heem and Francois Hougaard, and were fortunate Saracens were unusually slipshod in possession.
“We have a huge collective spirit and we saw that in the first 40 or 50 minutes,” said the Worcester coach, Carl Hogg. “We had a few opportunities to launch attacks and dent their momentum but we lacked accuracy. We were up against the best team in Europe and I hope that against other sides we get more opportunities to implement our gameplan.”
Worcester are at home to Gloucester on Friday, already trailing to their expected relegation rivals Bristol and Newcastle, who defeated Sale last Friday.
“Newcastle winning doesn’t particularly put pressure on us,” Hogg said. “Playing Saracens was always going to be a tough task and it was a stiff learning curve.”
