Impressive Saracens scored eight tries as they dispatched Newcastle Red Bulls to get another win in the Prem Rugby Cup.
It was a tense start to the 2nd of StoneX Stadium’s ‘triple header’ of games, with both teams obviously wary after last week’s 70-point Prem thriller between them.
But it was Saracens to strike first, scrum-half Tom James dummying to run through the space in the Newcastle defensive line and touchdown in the 10th minute.
The home side then pushed themselves into a commanding 19-0 lead after two quick tries through Fraser Rawlins and Eoghan Clarke.
Clarke got his second just a couple of minutes later, giving Saracens their 4th try and bonus point, whilst Newcastle were still looking to start a strong attack, let alone score their first try.
Captain Nathan Michelow and Andy Onyeama-Christie scored two more for Saracens before half-time, meaning the hosts were cruising, up 40-0 heading into the break.
SARACENS 40-0 NEWCASTLE RED BULLS
The start of the second half had a similar feel to the first, but it would be the visitors who would score, Jake Dalziel scoring and converting his own try to give Newcastle their first points of the game.
A cagey affair was to follow after Newcastle’s try, but that was broken 20 minutes later after replacement Toby Knight broke through and scored under the posts, putting the hosts back to 40 points ahead.
And they would also bring up a half-century of points the next score later through another replacement, this time Charlie Bracken.
Newcastle would have two consolation tries before the end, one by Dalziel again, but it would not change much, as Saracens had produced both a stellar attacking and defensive display to take all five points.
SARACENS: 54
TRIES: 8 (James 10’, Rawlins 12’, Clarke 17’, 19’, Michelow 31’, Onyeama-Christie 38’, Knight 66’, C.Bracken 71’) CONVERSIONS: 7 (Davidson 11’, 17’, 19’, 32’, 39’, 67’, 72’) PENALTIES: 0 DROP GOALS: 0 YELLOW CARDS: 0 RED CARDS: 0
NEWCASTLE RED BULLS: 19
TRIES: 3 (Dalziel 52’, 77’, Barreto 80’) CONVERSIONS: 2 (Dalziel 52’, 77’) PENALTIES: 0 DROP GOALS: 0 YELLOW CARDS: 0 RED CARDS: 0
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Luke Davidson
The fly-half had big boots to fill as the obvious two in the Saracens 10 pecking order are Owen Farrell and Fergus Burke, but he performed excellently in this statement win for Saracens. His kicking was a highlight, notching many difficult conversions after Sarries scored in the corners. Eoghan Clarke also should have a shoutout, but Davidson should feel proud of his performance today.
BIGGEST UNDERPERFORMER: James Elliot
It could’ve been a couple of Newcastle players after a loss as big as this, but I’ve gone for the captain. To give him some credit, he was always at the rucks, looking to get quick ball away, but it never was there, and for the little amount of Newcastle attack that was done, I felt he maybe could’ve done more. There were also a couple of times Saracens broke through, and some of the time it was down to him.
ONE TO WATCH: Mathis Dehauteur
The big second-row is a superb tackler for his height. He has the ability to get both low and chop-tackle, as well as hold players up. I felt he was absolutely everywhere in regards to the defensive side of the ball, and still had a couple of carries too.
PLAYER RATINGS:
SARACENS STARTING XV:
15. Max Malins: 7
14. Fraser Rawlins: 7
13. Angus Hall: 6
12. Sione Va’eneku: 6
11. Jack Bracken: 6
10. Luke Davidson: 8
9. Tom James: 8
1. Phil Brantingham: 5
2. Eoghan Clarke: 8
3. Corne Weilbach: 6
4. Mathis Dehauteur: 7
5. Kennedy Sylvester: 5
6. Max Eke: 6
7. Andy Onyeama-Christie: 7
8. Nathan Michelow (Captain): 7
REPLACEMENTS:
16. James Isaacs: 6
17. Owen Gillett: 5
18. Alec Clarey: 6
19. Hugh Tizard: 6
20. Tayo Adegbemile: 6
21. Toby Knight: 7
22. Charlie Bracken: 7
23. Finn Keylock: 5
NEWCASTLE RED BULLS STARTING XV:
15. Harrison Obatoyinbo: 4
14. Obi Ene: 4
13. Oli Spencer: 4
12. Rhys Beeckmans: 4
11. Brandon Jackson: 5
10. Jake Dalziel: 7
9. James Elliot (Captain): 4
1. Adam Brocklebank: 4
2. Samson Adejimi: 5
3. James Harper: 4
4. Rob Carmichael: 4
5. Finn Baker: 5
6. Ollie Leatherbarrow: 4
7. George Bolam: 5
8. Mason Flesch: 5
REPLACEMENTS:
16. Ollie Fletcher: 5
17. Tom West: 5
18. Murray McCallum: 5
19. Cam Jordan: 5
20. Euan Oakes: 5
21. Kaleem Barreto: 6
22. Ethan Grayson: 5
23. Nathan Greenwood: 6
5 TALKING POINTS FROM THE GAME:
Jack Bracken injury scare
One of Saracens’ more senior players today, Jack Bracken had to be helped as he walked off today’s game. He could be seen as a key player for Saracens’ season after looking at how much he has played, so if it were to be a long-term injury, that could be damaging for them as they look to push into that top 4 after a couple of years out.
Sarries youngsters good
As normal, there were many youngsters on display in this Prem Rugby matchup, and I felt that many of them showed up today.
The attack was so scintillating for the home side that you felt any of them could score, and many of them did. As for Newcastle, their fly-half Jake Dalziel played well, and got himself two tries too.
Newcastle’s defence looked poor
It may seem obvious that your defence looks poor after conceding 54 points, but there were so many gaps in that line, and Saracens exploited them very well. It’s a tough one to take for Newcastle after they’ve started the season so well in the Prem, but they’ll look back at the footage and know what they need to change.
Max Malins led well
As there are so many youngsters, you need your experienced players to show up, and Max Malins was so good at that today. He controlled those Saracens backs very well, communicating perfectly with the young guys. He also had many good runs from deep that gained many yards.
Prem Rugby table talk
That’s now two wins from two for Saracens in the cup, pushing them to second in the table behind Harlequins. Newcastle stay in fourth, but the teams above and below them have all played a game more, so they’ll still feel confident about their chances of getting past the group stages.
