Saracens beat the World Champions
18 Nov 2009 - 01:20
It was a night that will long live in the memory of Saracens players, coaches and supporters alike – the night that they beat the World Champions 24-23 at Wembley Stadium.
In front of a crowd of 46,281, Sarries staged an amazing second half comeback to beat the Springboks.
Trailing 18-6 at the interval after first half tries from Juan de Jongh and Jongi Nokwe, Sarries hit back after the break with scores from Ernst Joubert and Brad Barritt. Nokwe scored his second of the game but a Derick Hougaard drop goal six minutes from time secured the historic win.
“I am so proud of my players,” said Sarries Director of Rugby Brendan Venter after the game. “I have said to them all season that rugby is about creating memories as a group and tonight we have done that.
“You can win trophies in sport, but they take then back after a year. The memories we leave the stadium tonight cannot be taken away from us. They will always be there and it was a fantastic night for everyone connected with the club.
“The foresight and hard work of everyone connected with this club was shown tonight with a crowd of nearly 47,000 which is fantastic. The Board of Directors and our CEO Edward Griffiths must take plaudits for that for staging such an ambitious event. It was an unbelievable night.”
At one stage, Sarries had trailed 18-3 but a late Hougaard penalty right on half time brought it back to 18-6. And Venter revealed that with the team trailing by 12 points and then learning that a Sarries fan had won £250,000 at half time, the team realised they needed to fight back after the break.
“We were 18-6 down at half time in front of 47,000 people and we’d just seen a fan win a quarter of a million pounds from the club, so we knew we had to put on a second half performance, “ joked Venter. “We played poorly in the first half. We didn’t lack intensity and we defended well, but we struggled to play a bit.
“We got some fresh legs out there in the second half and that helped, but don’t underestimate the part those players had in the first half to take the energy out of the Springboks. They came here to play and it was a fiercely competitive game.
“So we leave the stadium with great memories, but also knowing that we have a huge match on Sunday against Wasps in the Guinness Premiership at Vicarage Road. We know that we will have to perform even better than that against an excellent Wasps side. But this team is capable of that.”
Early in the match, Hougaard had given Saracens the lead but Ruan Pienaar leveled with a kick of his own and then gave his side the lead with another penalty on 14 minutes.
Straight from the restart, South Africa counter-attacked from inside their own 22 and exploited two forwards in the Saracens line to work an overlap for Jongi Nokwe, who roared clear of Noah Cato.
As full-back Michael Horak closed down the space, Nokwe slipped the ball inside for Andries Bekker in support but Cato, who had continued to track back, hauled the Springboks lock into touch just before he could touch down in the corner.
That break launched 11 minutes of virtually unbroken South African pressure and, although Saracens defended bravely, twice winning key turnovers, the touring side scored a try.
Juan De Jongh ran straight and hard and held off the challenge of two players long enough to stretch for the line.
The Springboks then enjoyed a huge slice of luck when referee James Jones waved play on despite number eight Ashley Johnson knocking on a huge up-and-under from Earl Rose and Nokwe scooped up the loose ball to score under the posts, presenting Pienaar with a simple conversion.
Hougaard landed a second penalty just before the interval but Saracens then drew level with two tries in quick succession as they launched a sustained assault on the Springboks line.
Number eight Joubert scored the first try after charging down a clearance from South African replacement Francis Hougaard with one hand before scooping up the loose ball to dive over in the corner.
Saracens had their tails up and Tagicakibau was almost sent clear after some slick passing between replacements Andy Saull and Rodd Penney.
Although that thrust came to nothing, it carried Saracens back into the South African 22 and, after a powerful scrum, Barritt charged through three tacklers to score their second try.
Hougaard then missed penalty and South Africa hit back in style, with Rose and Odwa Ndungane linking brilliantly to send Nokwe over for his second try.
But Saracens simply refused to be beaten. Hougaard dragged them back to within two points with his third penalty and then sparked wild celebrations with the match-winning drop-goal.
Saracens line-up: Horak (Goode 50), Cato (Penney 41), Ratuvou, Barritt, Tagicakibau, Hougaard, De Kock (Barrett 38), Gill, Reynecke (Brits 41), Skuse (Nieto 50), Vyvyan, Botha, Van Heerden, Melck (Saull 47) Joubert. Not used: Kruis.
20 Jan 2010 - 14:36
More signings to be announced next week. Sarrie…
1 comment
Guinness Premiership Table
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester Tigers | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 280 | 168 | 41 |
| 2 | Saracens | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 216 | 172 | 40 |
| 3 | Northampton Saints | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 263 | 191 | 39 |
| 4 | London Irish | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 264 | 154 | 37 |
| 5 | London Wasps | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 211 | 207 | 31 |
Comments
Bulle says:
Mooi so Derick!!! Goed gedaan. SA rugby het 'n briljante speler verloor
18 Nov 2009 - 06:16 - (Report this post)
AAF says:
Well done neef great game en geluk met man of the match ook. Jy net weer gewys jy is n top gehalte flank. well done wickus.
18 Nov 2009 - 07:37 - (Report this post)
Pieter Pretorius says:
What a match! Those Sarries supporters who were worried about injuries were right...... the Boks sustained a serious injury to their reputations.
18 Nov 2009 - 07:44 - (Report this post)
csallum says:
Well Done Lads, cracking come back
18 Nov 2009 - 08:19 - (Report this post)
Raydow says:
Top of the premership and now top of the world!!! What a display, i admit i was wrong about the staging of the game the pests must be very worried about Sunday now!!!!. Is there no end to what this team can do. Roll on Sunday and a sell out at our real home.
18 Nov 2009 - 08:43 - (Report this post)
Teneal says:
How bad is it that a Blue Bull had to beat the Boks!!
18 Nov 2009 - 09:23 - (Report this post)
Den says:
PLEASE can we stop having these type of endings to matches???? Don't think my ticker will take many more!!!! Seriously, WELL DONE SARRIES. Thanks to ALL involved - team, coaches, all those behind the scenes, .......... . You made it happen!! Great result. One I'll remember for life!!
18 Nov 2009 - 09:41 - (Report this post)
nickc says:
Ties, controversy, £250,000 winner and a great comeback by the Sarries! What more do you want for a great family night out? Well done to the management for staging what was a fantastic night. Roll on sunday and lets make it 8 from 8. GO SARRIES!
18 Nov 2009 - 09:47 - (Report this post)
Camelot says:
What a fantastic night - in the end! I thought we'd been totally blown away at half time. The second half display was outstanding, playing with real pace and purpose. What a difference it made when we stopped trying to kick deep and kept the ball in hand. We showed Barnesy and the rest at Sky we CAN play exciting rugby for a sustained period - more of the same on Sunday please. That's the sort of performance that SHOULD get 15,000 at Vicarage Road!!
18 Nov 2009 - 10:52 - (Report this post)
ricokid says:
What a night, I nearly had a cardiac arrest but it was worth it in the end. We played some great rugby to yet again come back from behind, it was great to watch. Look what happens when we keep the ball in hand!! Bring on Wasps this sunday. I really enjoyed the evening and it was all round great fun. Hats off to Stuart, what a gem mate!! One thing though.... whoever organises the music for these occasions needs a good SLAP, sort it out!!
18 Nov 2009 - 14:52 - (Report this post)
ricokid says:
Oh and another thing... Who else thinks Neill DeKock should keep the tash?!
18 Nov 2009 - 14:55 - (Report this post)
ricdimin says:
Fantastic match, fantastic performance! Congrats to the coaches, team & all involved in putting on this match last night. I'll admit I was one of the many shouting 'WHY??? when Derrick went for the winning drop goal before it dropped over! If we can beat the World Champions, then a team of Pests should (hopefully) be no problem. STAND UP FOR THE SARACENS!!
18 Nov 2009 - 14:58 - (Report this post)
dawn1978 says:
Well done to all at Sarries!!! What an amazing incredible night and one I will never forget!! Now come on guys and get your bums on seats at Vicarage Road to show your support for our boys!!
18 Nov 2009 - 16:52 - (Report this post)
bigmal50 says:
What a night and what a team. The second half was totally out of this world at last we have found how to win these close games even against the world champions!! Bring on the pests i have my swatter ready. At last we can start believing, Sarries are the real deal!! GO SARRIES
18 Nov 2009 - 16:57 - (Report this post)
Markovitch says:
Amazing second half! Best game I've been to. Will almost be definitely 8 out of 8 for Sunday!
18 Nov 2009 - 18:26 - (Report this post)
Tyke says:
24 hrs later & I've still got a silly grin on my face. Any chance of a DVD of the game being produced? - then I can keep the feeling going for months ahead!
18 Nov 2009 - 20:12 - (Report this post)
rich2304 says:
A DVD is a great idea, I agree with you. I've been a Sarries fan through the highs, the lows and everything in between. Last night was a superlative results. Well done lads!
18 Nov 2009 - 20:52 - (Report this post)
Bynesey says:
For personal reasons I couldnt make the game, but watched on TV, I thought we had blown it at half time, obviously Venter had a thorough talking to squad and it did the trick, wow, guts and determination, well done to all, Im soo looking forward to the Pests downfall on Sunday at VC, more of the same please lads!!!!!
18 Nov 2009 - 22:28 - (Report this post)
dejager says:
Wait a minute- if the World Cup team was sitting in the stands watching the game How can you say the Sarries beat the World Champs!!
19 Nov 2009 - 21:34 - (Report this post)
Pieter Pretorius says:
The Springboks are the world champs until 2011. They don't relinquish the title if a few of them retire and if they didn't take the game at Wembley seriously they shouldn't have worn green jerseys with a springbok on the chest. Lets be clear: SARRIES BEAT THE WORLD CHAMPS!
20 Nov 2009 - 15:29 - (Report this post)
snorbensarrie says:
The missus and I came up from Devon for the game. Finished the day so pumped up that when our hotel caught fire the following morning (truthfully) we barely noticed it.
21 Nov 2009 - 17:01 - (Report this post)