The Premiership Women’s Rugby season rolls on into round five, with a top vs bottom of the table clash taking place this Saturday. The league leading Saracens Women make the trip to the East Midlands, as they take on Leicester Tigers Women at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
Tigers are still searching for their first win of the 2023/24 campaign, with the Londoners flying high with three wins out of three. Saracens have the same winning record as Exeter Chiefs Women in the season’s early goings, yet top the table on points difference after a trio of emphatic victories against Loughborough Lightning (48-7), Trailfinders Women (52-18) and Harlequins Women (31-0).
Saracens back-row Sophie de Goede is delighted with her side’s fiery start to the campaign, yet admitted that Sarries are in no way taking Leicester lightly. The Canadian recognised how her club are used to entering matches as the favourites, and gave an insight into the Sarries mentality that makes them such a well-drilled winning machine.
“For sure, I think it’s probably a situation that the club has been used to over the years, is playing as a favourite and managing to perform still. I think like that being said, each year, the quality of this league seems to be getting better and better. I mean, it’s only my second year in the league, but I’ve loved watching it kind of develop and grow over the years. And there’s a lot of parody across teams and a lot of depth across teams.
“So that being said, Leicester, I think is a quality side and we have to prepare as such, because the league is so strong from top to bottom this year. It’s a great place to be on top, I think it’s a place that we’re comfortable playing from, but it’s certainly not a place for complacency and not against the side, like Leicester, no matter where they are in rankings.”
“You want to put teams in pressure situations, but it doesn’t always come off that way. We certainly want to train (to be) coming out hot, but I think probably the bigger takeaway from that is just finishing opportunities when we get them. So, whether it comes early in the game, mid game, late in the game, we’re just making sure that red zone efficiency for lack of a better term, is high. I think we have one of, if not the highest points per 22 metre entry in the league right now. That’s probably the bigger emphasis, It’s just making sure that we finish the opportunities when we get there.”
One of Saracens’ most revered attacking strengths across the league is their rolling maul. The eight time league champions currently bolster a forwards pack, that is star-studded with England internationals. It is no secret that the Red Roses utilise the maul with great aplomb, with the likes of captain Marlie Packer transferring this weapon into the arsenal of the North London club.
De Goede knows all too well what it is like to come up against England’s rolling maul. Canada faced the Red Roses three times this year, with England taking a hat-trick of victories across two Summer tests and a meeting in the inaugural WXV1 competition. The Canadian captain praised the Saracens set-piece, and discussed how she certainly prefers driving the maul forward, as apposed to trying to halt it in its tracks.
“Yeah, for sure. I think both teams have really dominant mauling, and they’re both hard to stop. And I’ve seen that from the other side for sure. And you know, you have smart, smart players like all of our English players, you look at Marlie (Packer) and Poppy (Cleall), Kelsey (Clifford) in the forwards packs, Rosie (Galligan) obviously, they make a huge difference with their experience coming from the English maul and the way they like to do things there.
“And so it’s interesting learning kind of what their perspective is. What can seem messy, I guess from the outside, but is actually quite structured on the inside. Kind of hearing their thoughts and then just kind of pairing it up with my own experience. But yeah, both teams have great mauls and it’s fun to be on the other side now.”
De Goede is one of a handful of Canadians who call the Stone X Stadium home. She is joined by the likes of winger Paige Farries, prop Maya Montiel and lock Emma Taylor, with the Maple Leaf flag flying high in North of London. The back-row star believes that having so many of her fellow patriots across the PWR is only going to improve the national side, who are currently ranked at fourth in the world.
“It’s huge. I think we’re really fortunate to do it in the league of this quality. Playing back home in Canada, most parts of the country, the seasons are quite short over the summer, because then you’re hit with snow for six months of the year. So it’s nice to be able to play all through the fall (Autumn) and winter here, and just get quality games in every weekend, and not to mention the daily training environment.
“So I think being in that environment, being in this league for seasons at a time, is really helpful for us when we come back to the national team. It also gives us exposures to different styles of play and different ways of thinking that they have here, versus back home. So, overall it’s really positive.”
Outside of the Red Roses and Canadian contingent, a key cog in the Saracens forward pack is Wales prop Donna Rose. The 32-year-old made her long-awaited return from an ACL injury, as Saracens put Harlequins to the sword, for a 31-0 shut-out to win the London bragging rights. Speaking on her teammates return, de Goede praised Rose’s on-field spark, but added how she brings so much to the club off the pitch as well.
“Donna’s come back rolling, she is firstly just off the pitch, like a great person and love being teammates with Donna. It’s been really nice too. She was around last summer, so it’s been really nice to kind of reconnect. Then on the pitch, like she’s a firecracker, and she made some huge hits against Quinn’s and I think she just hasn’t missed a step. Obviously she’s been training hard with the Welsh camp and with Sarries in her return, and she looks like she hasn’t been out of the game. So, just really happy to have her, and be on the same team as Donna, and get to be close to her both on and off pitch.”
Saracens Women’s Director of Rugby Alex Austerberry also discussed Rose’s return, which has been a long overdue addition to the Sarries front row. The two go back quite far in the respective careers, and Austerberry is delighted to see how his Welsh scrummaging star has not lost a step in her time away from the pitch.
“Fantastic character. Injured last season, wonderful to have around the group. In terms of the performance against Harlequins, I thought she was outstanding, a real big impact both defensively and carrying. Set piece, she was a real integral part about how successful that was, but the great thing is just that Donna was fit, happy and playing incredibly well on the field and long may that continue.
“I think, in the last few years she’s really established herself after a club move, after a positional move. She works incredibly hard at her game, and you’re really happy for players, when they start to really flourish into the players that have the potential to be.
“Having known Donna for a very long time. It’s great to see that she’s getting the accolades that she should do. Because what people don’t see is all the hard work, all the energy and effort that goes on behind the scenes. You know, for that to be to be paying off in terms of the performances that we’re seeing. It’s fantastic.”
Austerberry also shared his thoughts on the latest Saracens Women’s talent to explode onto the scene. Despite being just 18-years-old, Amelia MacDougall has presented her ability to lead the Saracens line, and has stepped up to Zoe Harrison’s vacancy at fly half. MacDougall is showing all the makings of a promising future talent, and was instrumental in Sarries’ landslide win over Harlequins from two weeks ago. Austerberry was full of praise for the talented young halfback, but reiterated the need to not pressurise MacDougall, and give her space to breathe in the right environments.
“Amelia is a very talented player. Her potential is what’s really exciting. But what we’ve got to understand is that, it’s not always going to be linear progression. We’ve seen that in these last few months with her and she’s taken to the senior stage incredibly well, you know, pulling the strings at 10, in a real tough London Derby, and away at Ealing as well.
“You know, it’s impressive. But we’ve got to make sure that we give Amelia the support that she needs, so that she can flourish. Sometimes that will be on the back of things not going as well, but that’s all part of her learning experience. But ultimately, she’s got everything that it requires to be an outstanding player.
“I think she’s got an unbelievable peer group around her that can support her through, riding the highs and avoiding the lowest of the lows, in terms of when things don’t go quite as planned. She’s got great experience (teammates) both in the pack, and in around her at 10, and in that midfield. So, I don’t want to build the hype too much around her because I think we just need to let her breathe, and just let her game speak for itself.
“Over time, she’ll become even better, that’s what’s exciting. So, Amelia has got to keep true to herself keep working hard at the elements of the game that don’t necessarily come as naturally to her.
But then on the flip side of that, that natural flair, that ability to create, that ability to play off the cuff, she’s got to be confident to let that breathe. As coaches, we’ve got to be comfortable in going, ‘all right, it doesn’t matter your age, you’ve got the skill set, you’ve got this ability, you’ve got this vision, let’s go with it’.
“So it’s certainly an exciting time to see exactly where she can go. But, we’ve just got to make sure that we don’t build it up, don’t build too much pressure on her. Again, she’s a youngster coming through, there’s going to be some really, really incredible highs in her career, but there will also be some learning points, where she does need that support, rather than that scrutiny.”