McCall delighted with Saracens intensity

Editor

Mark McCall praised Saracens’ energy after their comprehensive 41-13 bonus point win over Sale Sharks at Allianz Park on Saturday.

After returning from Philadelphia this week Sarries came out of the gate fast, running in two tries in the first ten minutes.

Ben Spencer scored twice, with Liam Williams, Vincent Koch, and Nathan Earle making it five tries on the day.

On the impressive performance, director of rugby McCall said: “The most pleasing thing was the energy we showed right from the off. We really stepped it up physically in the first fifteen-minute period which is exactly what we asked for.

“Some things just frustrated us in the first-half. It was nice to get the job done so quickly in the second half and to have a bonus point after 60-minutes.

“We were a bit disappointed by some of the line breaks and obviously them scoring two tries in the last 20-minutes.”

Owen Farrell was named man of the match, and stays perfect from the kicking tee this season after making all five conversions and two penalties.

However, it was not all good news from Allianz Park.

Billy Vunipola left the game with a right-knee injury after 35-minutes.

McCall said: “He’s off at the moment getting a scan. It’s definitely a knee injury but we are praying and hoping it isn’t as bad as it looked.”

“It’s cruel luck and we feel for him terribly.”

McCall also confirmed injuries to fellow back rowers Michael Rhodes and Schalk Burger, who are both now out with shoulder injuries. Rhodes will be out for 12-weeks after complications arose in his repaired shoulder, and Burger will be out 4-weeks after taking a knock against Newcastle in Philadelphia.

The injuries leave Saracens thin on the back row, though McCall was keen to highlight some of the young depth on the squad.

He said: “We’ve got some really good players coming through our academy.

“We’ve got Joel Conlon playing for our A-team tomorrow. We’ve got Ben Earl and Jack Nay in our under-20 side. We’ve got the ability to play Maro in the back row.”