Entering their first season of premiership competition the young Saracens team had one goal, prove to everyone they belonged. To achieve this goal, the Saracens knew 4 wins would be the minimum in a 10 game season, this may seem like a meager goal but accomplishing 4 wins against experienced sides, some with several overseas players was going to be difficult.
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The Saracens also had a tougher draw because of their 2nd place finish in the B Division last year. They would have to play Ste-Annes, the Irish and Beaconsfield twice, not to mention away fixtures against Quebec and Sherbrooke. To make the start of the season interesting they had to face off against last year's champions Ste-Annes in Ste-Annes, a 48-14 loss was not the way the Saracens wanted to start the 2010 season. There were a few glaring issues in this first match, scrummaging , defense and penalties.
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Scrummaging was an issue for most of the season, due to lack of size and experience in the pack. Also several injuries in the front row gave the Saracens little options to chose from on game day. This lack of options forced the coach to convert Andy Rankin a centre / utility player into a front row player who performed admirably all season giving the Saracens some solid performances at that position. Line-outs were hit and miss all season as well which was directly linked to players missing practice and not being able to adjust on game day.
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Defense improved gradually over the course of the season with some solid performances coming at key moments. As players became more accustomed to the increased speed of the game, overlaps were significantly reduced and goal line defense was incredibly sound. In the last 3 games of the season the young Saracens were playing very intense rugby making hard hits especially in the centres.
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As much as they improved on defense, penalties often kept the Saracens in their half forcing them to defend constantly which wears on a team over time. Penalties often lead to scoring opportunities for opposing teams and on at least 3 occasions the Saracens let games slip away from them in the 2nd half because of lack of discipline and fitness.
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All in all it was a season of highs and lows, of which can be directly related to the young age of this team, A POSITIVE! Everyone learnt what it means to compete at that level and what is needed to remain at that level. Their goal was achieved, 4-6 and they will remain in Prems for 2011! With a year under their belt, this young Saracens team will only continue to improve if they work hard over the winter to strengthen up. GREAT JOB MEN!
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HIGHS OF THE SEASON
1. 1st home win of the season vs Beaconsfield including try bonus. (both mens teams' won on this day)
2. 1st road win against Quebec, the leagues 2nd place team.
3. 2nd road win against Sherbrooke, a team we have not beatten in 4 years.
4. 3rd road win against Beaconsfield, confirmation of our retention in Prems for 2011.
5. Andy Rankin moving to Loose-head Prop.
6. Jamie Bohemen's 3 try performance vs Beaconsfield.
7. The return of, Australian, Matt Hancox for a couple games.
8. Jason Aldridge's Leadership and competitiveness.
9. Shawn Blair playing through injury for most of the season.
10. Our Junior program and the 22 potential players moving up to seniors in 2011.
11. Our competitive spirit during the last 3 games of the season!
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