Wasps scored 64 points and eight tries the last time they faced Saracens at Allianz Park eight months ago, but the Premiership leaders are expecting a considerably closer contest against the champions on Sunday.
Saracens were shorn of their England players last February while Wasps had only a couple of absentees, and when the two clubs met in the Champions Cup semi-final later in the season, the victorious Sarries were more convincing than the 24-17 scoreline suggested.
“This game will show how far we have come from last season and will be a massive test for us,” the Wasps director of rugby, Dai Young, said. “I am pleased with the start we have made and the exciting part is that there is more to come from the team; we are nowhere near the finished article and have ridden our luck a bit.”
The preparations of both clubs for the game were hampered by England’s training camp in Brighton last Monday and Tuesday. Wasps lost their flanker Sam Jones to a broken leg sustained during a bout of judo with the Saracens second-row Maro Itoje and Owen Farrell is again absent from the home side with a back injury that is preventing him from place-kicking.
“Nothing has been mentioned about last February’s game,” said Schalk Burger, who joined Saracens in the summer after a 13-year international career with South Africa. “Wasps play an exciting brand of rugby and what makes them dangerous is that they are backing up what they did last season.
“They are trying to improve having lost two semi-finals last season and it is going to be a big challenge for us. It will be a contrast in styles and what was important for us was the way we reacted against Bristol in the last round after losing at Harlequins when we were not happy with certain facets of our game.
“The focus in Bristol was on intensity, energy and executing the gameplan. We stuck to it all evening and gave them nothing to work with, even if our performance was not perfect. I hope we rock up on Sunday with the same energy.”
