Disapointing End to a Great Season

After such a great showing in the 1/4 finals by both Saracens' teams, the semi finals were a different story.
The first semi-final game had the Saracens' 2nd team facing off against St-Anne's III, the young Sarries gave St-Annes a tough time in the first half with some solid hitting and constant pressure but entered half-time, down 3-15.
St-Annes came out even more focused and determined in the 2nd half and their great communication and support play saw them score a succession of tries. It showed that they were a team that trained hard together and nothing we threw at them seemed to phase them. Final score 10-42 in favour of St-Annes III.
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Saracens' 1st team faced the Barbs I in Ormstown under sunny conditions, a perfect afternoon for rugby. This match was hotly contested and the team that made fewer mistakes would take it in the end, unfortunately, on this day it was the Barbs.
With opportunities to score being offered to both side in the first half, both defenses defended their goal line with intensity and poise. The score at half time was an indication of how tight the game was 0-3 in favour of the Barbs.
The 2nd half started the same way the 1st did and it wasn't until the sixtieth minute of play that the Barbs finally broke through for a try off a penalty. It was 0-8 for the Barbs and the Saracens were not giving up! We managed to turn over some balls in the line-outs, and get a penalty within kicking range but never capitalized on those opportunities which seemed to take the wind out of our sails.
With some forced plays and key mistakes by the Saracens in the dying minutes of the game, the Barbs were able to capitalize and score 8 more points winning the game 0-16.
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It is a though pill to swollow, losing both semi-final games after you know how hard most of the players worked this season, and during the playoffs. We were focused on our objectives but in the end, costly mistakes, forced plays, penalties, and the inability to solidify our set peices killed us. Thank you to all the players for the great season and we will discuss what needs to be done for next season at the AGM.