Oktoberfest pays off for Saracens

When Saracens won their first major domestic trophy in 1998 in the form of the Tetley's Bitter Cup, they had a XV punctuated by superstars.

When Saracens won their first major domestic trophy in 1998 in the form of the Tetley's Bitter Cup, they had a line-up punctuated by superstars.

Michael Lynagh, Philippe Sella and Francois Pienaar – all rugby legends and all recruited after the arrival of owner Nigel Wray – led the charge.

But while the trio were followed by other big-name international stars in the shape of Tim Horan, Thomas Castaignède, Thierry Lacroix and Taine Randell, their strategy of relying on a few leading lights proved fruitless in the long term. A drought of thirteen years duly followed at Vicarage Road.

Then things all changed. Four years ago the club embarked on a path quite the opposite to the one that had brought them joy in the past. In came Stellenbosch-born business tycoon Johann Rupert, who purchased a 50 per cent stake from Wray. There was a great deal of kicking and screaming from fans, who had heard rumours of moving from Watford to London and an influx of South African players joining. Online forums were set up to try and cool the unrest.

Slowly the noise quietened and two years later came the arrival of former London Irish head coach and 1995 World Cup winner Brendan Venter, who took over from Eddie Jones.

2009/10 saw the beginning of Venter's plans coming together, with a heartbreaking loss to Leicester in the Premiership final denying them their second taste of silverware. In 2011 they would not be denied though, with Venter still involved but in more of a back-seat role.

Few would have believed that Steve Borthwick's decision to snub the launch of the Heineken Cup in order to attend a team bonding trip to the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich would stand as an example of just what Saracens were all about. Many pundits, including our own, were venting at the decision.

“This event was organised months ago and is all part of what we're trying to do at this club,” said club chief executive Edward Griffiths at the time.

“If you want to beat the likes of Northampton and Leicester it's a game of inches and we're finding a few more inches here. We're trying to be a little bit different, which will always raise eyebrows, but maybe others should look at what we're doing.”

Saracens' rivals shouldn't forget the team's trip to Miami later in the season to train with NFL team the Miami Dolphins either. A PR stunt maybe but this season has seen the club think more about the business side of things, which was necessary as they were, according to Griffiths, suffering “substantial losses over the last decade”. We have seen several trips to Wembley as well as a continued attempt to tap into the South African ex-pat community. More recently their redesigned website released ten re-signing stories in ten hours. Annoying yes, but ultimately results in increased page impressions for the club.

The results of their change have been clear both on and off the field. While they might not score too many tries, Schalk Brits, David Strettle and others possess an abundance of attacking flair while Saracens finished this Premiership season with the best defensive record, which paid dividends in the end.

Keeping Leicester at bay for 32 phases in the last throngs of another epic final showed the resilient, all-for-one approach that has characterised the team this campaign. With hard grafting players like Ernst Joubert and Jacques Burger leading the way – not big name internationals – Saracens have created an unmatched culture of togetherness and with the 2010/11 Aviva Premiership crown secured in their cabinet, a jubilant Mark McCall said:

“Two years ago we said it was going to be about bringing a group of people together, creating friendships and creating memories. You have to like each other and back each other up. You have to fight and fight.”

At Twickenham last weekend, fight Saracens most certainly did.

By Julia Harris and Adam Kyriacou