Mark McCall praises Sarries’ physicality

Editor

BARNET, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Mark McCall of Saracens before the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Saracens and Gloucester Rugby at Allianz Park on September 23, 2018 in Barnet, United Kingdom. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall praised his side’s physicality in their Premiership triumph over Gloucester at Allianz Park on Sunday.

Both side were unbeaten coming into the contest, but the champions were irresistible as they ran in five tries as Richard Wigglesworth broke the all-time Premiership appearance record in their 38-15 victory.

“I thought last weekend against Northampton Saints we had made a step in the right direction physically and our intensity was much better than it had been in the previous two games,” said McCall.

“We felt we were a bit in-and-out of it in the Northampton game and weren’t persistent enough with that.

“I thought we were more persistent with that against Gloucester, especially in the first 25 minutes of the second half when we played into a strong wind.

“I felt like we were had control of the ball and field position. That part of the game was probably most pleasing.

“Owen [Farrell] was incredibly influential. It wasn’t just his skillset, his passing and his kicking; it was the physical tone he set. Physically, he was incredible against Gloucester.”

Gloucester head coach Johan Ackermann was full of praise for Saracens and said his team were beaten by a better side.

“I think we’re constantly learning lessons from Saracens, we’re don’t take that too much to heart,” he commented.

“Firstly, we should congratulate Saracens for how ruthless they were when in our 22, they rarely give up the ball until they get points.

“Secondly, we need to look at our performance. We lacked that accuracy and skill, there were some loose passes, we lost the ball in turnovers and a lot of knock-ons from spilling the ball.

“There was always a mistake creeping in, so there’s lots of lessons for us in terms of managing the game.”