After the first Test between the Lions and South Africa in the summer there was concern among referees about the rise in mock congratulations offered to a player guilty of a giving away a penalty or making a mistake. Such behaviour reared its ugly head in this scrappy but entertaining enough opener to the London Double-Header.
Ryan Lamb, who was rarely shy in his first outing with his new club, could not help but offer false praise to a new recruit on the other side, Schalk Brits, after the Saracens hooker conceded a penalty. Brits knows a bit of sarcasm when it comes his way and responded by shoving Lamb, who shoved him back. Delon Armitage shoved Brits. It was all very tame but the upshot was that Brits and Armitage were sent to the sin-bin and the penalty was reversed in Saracens' favour. Shame, because it is a nasty little trait in the game, a sneaky precursor to more obvious outbursts of retribution or simple violence.
Lamb would probably have missed the kick at goal. He had a dreadful day. His passing was satisfactory but he drifted across the field and posed no threat except as a talker. It was not an auspicious debut. Saracens began with a first half full of clinical acceptance of chances. Most of the generosity came from Irish, who were gruesome, dropping balls or simply running out of play.
But the opening try owed a bit to the referee, Dave Pearson, who had barely finished a lecture to the players grouped before him when Glen Jackson tapped a penalty quickly to himself and scuttled over. It was good thinking by the Saracens No10, but if the referee wants players to pay attention to the point he is making, he has to allow them time to realign after he has finished, doesn't he?
There was nothing wrong with the second try. Alex Goode started a counter attack and the flanker Andy Saull finished it by taking a precision kick from Jackson on the right wing. Saracens were 18-3 up at the interval – Irish had just a single penalty to their name.
The second half could not have been more different. Irish had all the ball and Saracens were forced to defend for the entire 40 minutes.
The Exiles scored a try through the lusty running of replacement George Stowers and kicked a brace of penalties through the hapless Lamb and his more impressive bodyguard, Delon Armitage, whose squirter somehow passed through the posts.
They would have won if Lamb had kicked more goals and if passes by Nick Kennedy and Peter Richards, a robust introduction to the centre, had gone to hand. And if Saracens had been less resolute with their tackling. But Lamb was off-target with his boot and out of line with his mouth. And Saracens defended stoutly, with extra resilience after Ernst Joubert was sent to the sin-bin for preventing release at a ruck. They did not score a point but they made one, remaining disciplined in the face of all the tests set by Irish – all, that is, bar the slice of sledging.
Saracens Goode, Cato, Ratuvou, Barritt, Wyles; Jackson (Hougaard 74), De Kock (Marshall 69); Gill (Mercey 64), Brits (Ongaro 63), Nieto, Borthwick (capt), Vyvyan (Botha 63), Van Heerden (Owen 78), Saull, Joubert.
Tries Jackson, Saull Cons Jackson Pens Jackson 2. Sin-bin Brits 53, Joubert 59.
London Irish D Armitage, Thompstone, Seveali'i (Richards h-t), Mapusua, Tagicakibau; Lamb (Hewat 63), Hodgson; Dermody (capt) (Murphy 68), Coetzee (Buckland 52), Ion (Rautenbach 52), Perry (Casey 52), Kennedy, Danaher, S Armitage, Hala'Ufia (Stowers 52).
Tries Stowers Pens Lamb 2, D Armitage. Sin-bin D Armitage 53.
Referee D Pearson (Northumberland). Attendance 67,684.
