Saracens hatch plan to put dent in French dominance against Clermont

Judging by the Saracens side starting their Champions Cup campaign against Clermont Auvergne on Saturday, a show of strength is the aim.

Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly, Tom Willis and Nick Isiekwe are some of the distinguished names who will line up in north London aiming to put a small, symbolic dent in the notion that French clubs are poised to dominate the competition again. Even without the rested England captain, Maro Itoje, and back-row Ben Earl – both recently returned from a successful autumn campaign – the quality of the lineup indicates the depth required for a deep tournament run.

Noah Caluori, the 19-year-old who shot to prominence in October and was rewarded with a call-up by Steve Borthwick, makes his European debut: the presence of the 6ft 4in wing, allied to Farrell’s kicking prowess, will be causing some stress among Clermont’s coaching team.

Plenty of water has flowed under the bridge since Mark McCall’s side last lifted the trophy in 2019, when they beat Leinster in the final, and Caluori had yet to enter his teens.

Exeter triumphed the following year but since then French clubs and the Dublin-based province have dominated, at least based on final appearances if not silverware in Leinster’s case.

For Saracens, 2020 brought the conclusion of the salary-cap scandal that resulted in them being demoted to the Championship: the cap that significantly hampers Prem sides aiming to fight on two fronts, domestically and in Europe.

A further hazard for clubs producing Test players is losing them to international duty, injuries sustained while away, and the obligation to rest them at inconvenient times. Jamie George is a case in point. The veteran hooker is recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in England’s win against the All Blacks last month, but there is no better qualified spokesperson.

George began this year by reaching 300 Saracens appearances and brought up a century of England caps, against Italy, in the Six Nations soon after. While he is not exactly downbeat on Saracens’ prospects, his assessment is an exercise in managing expectations.

“I think it’s very challenging,” George said of the Prem teams’ task to compete domestically and in Europe. “I think what Bath did last year [winning the European Challenge Cup and the Premiership] was very impressive, so they have proven it’s possible. They have really great strength in depth.”

Jamie George, who misses the visit of Clermont with a hamstring injury, says competing with French clubs in Europe is ‘very challenging’. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho/Shutterstock

Bath’s double was a fine accomplishment but George knows preventing the most coveted European trophy again falling into French hands will be a different matter. “There’s got to be a little bit of luck on our side in terms of keeping people fit and generating a little bit of momentum going into the competition,” he said. “French rugby’s in a brilliant spot.”

Clermont, who Saracens defeated at Murrayfield in the 2017 final, have problems of their own. They listed 14 players as unavailable due to injury, the Fijian Alivereti Raka the most notable among them. Régis Montagne of France and Marcos Kremer of Argentina are unavailable due to the recent international window.

Added to salary-cap restrictions for English clubs, meanwhile, is a recent factor that is theoretically the same for all: a “massively challenging” obligation to play in South Africa. The forecast is 11C for the Clermont encounter and 30C in Durban a week later, when Saracens face the Sharks.

“When you weigh up the travel, the weather, the conditions, being away from home for a week … it’s challenging,” George said. “At the same time it’s an exciting opportunity for us to go out to South Africa. We didn’t do so well last time we went out there, in Pretoria. We had a pre-season trip to Durban, we checked out the sights, so we know what to expect.”

When George passed the 300-cap mark for his club in January, Saracens’ director of rugby, Mark McCall, said his longevity is due to “competitive spirit and drive … but he’s able to combine that with being a really good bloke.”

Similarly it tells you a lot about the his personality that Borthwick, the England head coach, asked him to stay with the squad at Pennyhill Park in a leadership capacity after his injury. ”That was really cool for me to do,“ George said. ”I’d loved the previous three weeks, and felt like I could still add, even if I wasn’t necessarily on the field.”

Asked for his favourite European wins aside from the obvious finals, George added. “The Toulon game in 2016. That was an amazing win. They’re the ones you remember for a very long time. It was a full-circle moment, one of the times we realised we were in the place we needed to be in order to be successful.” After kicking things off against Clermont Auvergne, Saracens will know a little more about the place they in are now.