Venter pleased with response
Saracens rugby director Brendan Venter says he is extremely happy with the way his side bounced back against Sale over the weekend.
Saracens secured an impressive 28-13 win over Sale following a defeat to London Irish on the opening day of the Premiership season. Venter says there were many more positive elements to the way Saracens played.
Deon Carstens and David Strettle both scored tries on their home debuts and look as though they have become crowd favourites already.
Venter will be pleased that the first win is on the board as the side can now build a little momentum.
There were many things appearing in Saracens' play against Sale that were not evident in the performance against London Irish. However, the side still has to tighten up a little bit at the back to concede fewer sloppy tries.
A positive performance
Venter clearly got his side very inspired and up for the game. The home crowd was very vocal and Saracens flew out of the traps. The side moved the ball very quickly in the opening stages, which made it difficult for Sale to move and defend.
All of the set pieces looked a lot more solid. The ball was quickly won and offloaded at the line-outs and the pack looked much stronger in the ruck. This allowed Saracens to gently edge up the pitch and gain a territorial advantage.
Saracens got the faster players on the ball more frequently. The wingers looked very dangerous and seemed as though they could score at will. These same wingers cut inside well to create problems in the middle of the field as gaps started to develop in the Sale defence.
Venter said: "At Twickenham last week, we found out the hard way that you have to produce your very best every week to be successful. Had we managed to win that despite playing poorly, we'd have thought we are better than we are. So I'm very pleased that all the boys gave everything in the heat and came away with a solid victory."
A tighter defence
There is still work to do in training this week for the defensive areas of the team. A more lethal side than Sale could have exposed gaps in the Saracens defence frequently and this would have meant the winning margin was drastically reduced.
There is also too much of a gap between the back and the front of the team. This creates a pocket of space for Saracens' opposition to break into and get at the defence. If Saracens can eradicate this then they will be able to force the ball in a certain direction.
Venter added: "Sometimes such talented players blow hot and cold, but they gave us a great 80 minutes, chased everything and scored fine tries."
Betting advice
There would have been a lot of people who had serious doubts over whether to back Saracens after last week's performance. However, the side bounced back superbly and answered nearly every question that had been brought up.
Saracens is playing very attacking and fruitful rugby, which means you shouldn't hesitate to back the side to win any game in the near future. If some basic defensive problems can be sorted out then the side is very capable of beating any other team with a high winning margin.
David Strettle seems to have settled down very quickly at the club. He should score a few more tries over the course of the season and will be a nice outside bet to finish top scorer at the club. Act now while the odds are good.
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