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#Post#: 128619--------------------------------------------------
The Bitter Rivalry with Saracens
DIR By: DOK
Date: October 11, 2024, 4:47 am
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Would you use the word "Bitter"?
HTML https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2024/10/11/harlequins-saracens-inside-premiership-bitter-rivalry/
Harlequins v Saracens: Inside the Premiership’s most bitter
rivalry
Level of antipathy has eased with the passing of time, however
the ‘Battle for London’ is still fiercely contested between the
local rivals
Charles Richardson Rugby Reporter 11 October 2024 9:00am BST
Somewhat ironically, London’s fiercest rugby rivalry, between
Harlequins in the west and Saracens in the north, has its roots
in another, now defunct capital club. It was at London Irish,
the former Premiership finalists who might rise from their
administration ashes in next year’s Championship, where two
coaching minds, Conor O’Shea and Brendan Venter, first forged a
short-lived partnership. The duo led the Exiles before the
marriage ended: Venter continued with London Irish until 2003
before returning to his native South Africa to resume a medical
career. In 2005, O’Shea left the Exiles and bounced around a
number of high-profile performance jobs within English sport.
Five years later, the pair would reunite, but whereas before
they were comrades, now they were adversaries. Two of the
Premiership’s biggest clubs, Harlequins and Saracens, installed
Venter – in the north – and O’Shea – in the west – as directors
of rugby within 12 months of each other. Two years later,
another former son of London Irish, and an ex-team-mate of
O’Shea’s, Mark McCall, would take over from Venter.
Venter joined Saracens in 2009 and O’Shea arrived at Harlequins
in 2010, in the wake of the bloodgate scandal. Until then, the
big London derby had always been Wasps against Harlequins, given
the pre-eminence of the High Wycombe club in the noughties as
well as the geographical proximity of the two clubs’ roots. But,
with Wasps and London Irish tragically no longer present on the
English rugby scene, the respective arrivals of O’Shea and
Venter, with their polarising styles of play, kick-started a
decade of animosity between the two clubs. There were scraps on
the pitch, in the tunnel and in the boardroom between two sets
of players who refused to yield in the Battle of London.
The level of antipathy between the two clubs has eased with the
passing of time; Telegraph Sport understands that currently
players are convivial away from the pitch, a dynamic which is
mirrored at executive level. This Sunday’s clash at the Stoop,
on the back of two handsome Saracens victories last season,
could never be considered the most historic or nostalgic of
rivalries – nor is it the derby with the closest geographical
proximity. But there is also no doubt that over a roughly
10-year period, between 2010 and 2020, there was a genuine
disdain which existed whenever the two sides took to the field.
Salary cap misdemeanors stoked tensions
Of course, it would be remiss to not highlight Saracens’
salary-cap misdemeanours in this light. Not wishing to dig up
old graves, but the rancour between the two sides was ramped up
significantly because Harlequins knew that Saracens were
fiddling their books.
When James Johnston, Harlequins’ first-choice tighthead prop,
left the Stoop in 2013 to sit on the bench for two years at
Saracens, O’Shea accused the north London club of poorly
handling the transfer, before pointedly remarking: “We made him
the best offer we could. But there is a salary cap in place.”
Nick Easter, Harlequins No 8 between 2004 and 2006, recalls one
particularly infuriating match between the two, the 2014
Premiership semi-final at the Allianz Stadium. Saracens
triumphed – comfortably in the end – before falling to
Northampton in the final, but the way the match played out has
always stuck with Easter.
“It was a boiling hot day, on their plastic pitch – and the heat
really flew off the rubber crumb – it was a feisty, fiery game,”
the 46-year-old tells Telegraph Sport. “A lot of niggle. We
scored just before half-time. Nick Evans went to kick the
conversion and Chris Ashton ran up shouting: ‘Miss it, miss it.’
“Nick kicked it and then there was some argy-bargy heading into
the changing rooms. We were leading after 55 minutes but it was
fast, physical, and we were getting used to 4G; feet bleeding,
lungs bursting, legs fatigued, and then they just brought on a
raft of internationals from the bench. We were out on our feet
after 60 minutes. Our bench was basically made up of academy
boys; they did well, manfully, but eventually the game got away
from us.
“That really hurt. It was really galling. We were more than a
match and probably the better team up to that point. And then
they unloaded a bench which, when costed, was not within the
confines of the salary cap. I think that was the game that
spiked Conor into action with the board to do something about
what was going on.”
‘They hated us’
“Hatred” might be too strong a word for Easter, but it is not
for Jacques Burger, Saracens’ iconic former flanker, when
recalling the ding-dongs. Burger, who once had his hair pulled
by opposing flanker Maurie Fa’asavalu in a particularly vicious
meeting between the sides, will be watching on Sunday, “cheering
on the wolfpack”.
“They hated us – that was probably the right word,” the
41-year-old Namibian tells Telegraph Sport. “You could clearly
see that. They were always super-hyped. That took their clarity
away. We were plan-focused, we knew what our jobs were and it
wasn’t personal. We went out there and did the job.
“It’s a great rivalry. Fa’asavalu and I always tried to put in
the biggest hits. He was a physical guy. A good, proper hitter
who liked to get stuck in. It was always a challenge to see who
could get the biggest hit in.
“We played them at the Stoop and there was a bit of a scuffle
between me, Chris Robshaw and Easter. I was stuck in the middle
of that and when I woke up their physio was standing over me and
I was asking him what had happened. I couldn’t breathe and I had
been choked from behind. I felt a bit lethargic on the day of
the game but that moment let it all out and I suddenly felt
alive and full of energy – I should have thanked them. Not that
I condone people choking other players out!”
The chokehold days are long gone – as is the hatred. This
Sunday, the two sides will run out at the Stoop ready to fight
for London bragging rights, but the extra-curricular motivation
of yore has dissolved. The players get on, the clubs get on but,
as Harlequins chief executive Laurie Dalrymple attests, nothing
can compete with victory. His club created the “Big Game”
concept before Saracens followed, they have a bigger following
and boast bigger crowds – yet, winning is the most important.
“We are the only two London clubs,” says Dalrymple. “The London
rivalry is what fuels us now. It’s built around a derby rivalry
where each club claims to be the better one. There are things at
which they are better and they excel at, and there are things at
which we are better and excel at. They’ve certainly had the
better of us on the field over the past few years and that’s
something that we need to change.
“We know our fanbase, our reach, our engagement is much bigger.
On those optics, there’s no argument as to who would be
considered ‘larger’, but they are not the only ones that you
look at. We need to catch them up on the performance side
because they’ve been the better side of late. We want to be the
best club in England – not just London. It just so happens that
one of the best clubs in recent times in terms of silverware
happens to be our local rivals.”
Since the days of O’Shea and Venter, the Battle for London will
always be fiercely contested.
#Post#: 128622--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Bitter Rivalry with Saracens
DIR By: raedarius
Date: October 11, 2024, 6:08 am
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London Irish's rivalry with Quins was far more bitter than this.
However, Quins' rivalry with London Irish didn't really
reciprocate...
#Post#: 128625--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Bitter Rivalry with Saracens
DIR By: Fearless Fred
Date: October 11, 2024, 6:09 am
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There was also the Wasps rivalry based on our "shared heritage".
#Post#: 128637--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Bitter Rivalry with Saracens
DIR By: Squint
Date: October 11, 2024, 8:12 am
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--- Quote ---
>
> They hated us. You could clearly see that. They were always
super-hyped. That took their clarity away. We were plan-focused,
we knew what our jobs were and it wasn’t personal. We went out
there and did the job
>
--- End Quote ---
HTML https://media.tenor.com/kPUjaQpRwUsAAAAM/well-there-it-is.gif
#Post#: 128639--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Bitter Rivalry with Saracens
DIR By: JammyGit
Date: October 11, 2024, 8:15 am
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Good to have fresh insight from a man talking about a match 11
years ago
#Post#: 128640--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Bitter Rivalry with Saracens
DIR By: Squint
Date: October 11, 2024, 8:19 am
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Indeed, you'd hope that Quins might catch on quicker.
#Post#: 128641--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Bitter Rivalry with Saracens
DIR By: JammyGit
Date: October 11, 2024, 8:20 am
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I'll be sure to let Maurie and Easter know what they're doing
wrong
#Post#: 128648--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Bitter Rivalry with Saracens
DIR By: MaidstoneQuin
Date: October 11, 2024, 1:00 pm
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Wasps for me were the only team we seemed to have a proper
rivalry with. Irish always seemed to get triggered by us with
their tacky chants and fairly obnoxious behaviour compared to
other fans.
Not fussed by Saracens really. I think they are tying to force
create a rivalry hence their big games against us and so forth
but whilst there is some envy with their consistent success and
ability to ultimately dominate games, really don’t see it as any
bigger game than the rest
#Post#: 128649--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Bitter Rivalry with Saracens
DIR By: Quinky
Date: October 11, 2024, 1:47 pm
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--- Quote from: MaidstoneQuin link ---
>
> Not fussed by Saracens really. I think they are tying to force
create a rivalry hence their big games against us and so forth
but whilst there is some envy with their consistent success and
ability to ultimately dominate games, really don’t see it as any
bigger game than the rest
>
--- End Quote ---
I think Sarries have tried hard to make more of this (and other
things) to try and make themselves more interesting. It hasn't
worked.
#Post#: 128651--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Bitter Rivalry with Saracens
DIR By: Squint
Date: October 11, 2024, 2:40 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Quinky link ---
>
> I think Sarries have tried hard to make more if this (and
other things) to try and make themselves more interesting. It
hasn't worked.
>
--- End Quote ---
Head-to-Head record from 2000-2024
Games played 48
Draws 1
Wins (Home / Away)
Quins 13 - (9/4) Saracens 34 - (21/13)
Win Percentage 27%/73%
Too right Saracens have tried to make more out of it. They have
to!
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