Saracens F.C.
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| Saracens | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Image:Saracens.jpg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Saracens Rugby Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1876 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Watford, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Vicarage Road | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 19,920 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Mark Sinderberry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Alan Gaffney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Guinness Premiership | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | 10th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Official Website | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| www.saracens.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Image:Flag of England.svg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Saracens Rugby Football Club, also known as Saracens F.C. or ususally just Saracens, are a professional rugby union team based in Watford, England. They are currently members of the Guinness Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England. The team was established in 1876.
As well as competiting in the Guinness Premiership, the Saracens compete in the Anglo-Welsh club competition, the EDF Energy Cup, as well as the European rugby cups. The club colours are black and red. The team play their home games at Vicarage Road.
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[edit] History
Saracens were founded in 1876 by the Old Boys of the Philological School in Marylebone, London (later to become Marylebone Grammar School). In 1892 Saracens moved from Crown Lane, Southgate, to Firs Farm, N21 then played on nine different grounds before the move to Bramley Road for the 1939/40 season (although the war actually prevented them from playing there until 1945).
The club has enjoyed fixtures with the leading clubs for many years and enjoyed a particularly successful time in the 1970s when they reached the semi-finals of the National Cup (now the Tetley Bitter Cup). Special games played at Bramley Road during this period include the 1971 match against a select International XV. It was a fantastic occasion, as a 5,000 strong crowd (the largest ever to watch a rugby union game in North London at the time) came to watch a magnificent contest, ending Saracens 34 International XV 34.
After some bleak years in the early 1980's, the club responded to the challenge of the Courage Leagues, and with Floyd Steadman as captain and Tony Russ as coach, they won the second division in 1989 with a 100% record. The next year in the first division they surprised many by finishing fourth in the league behind Wasps, Gloucester and Bath.
The 1992/93 season saw the leagues restructured with Saracens, along with three other clubs, being relegated to the second division. In 1993/94 Saracens finished third and narrowly missed out on promotion but the following year they finished as champions and were again back in the top flight. Saracens seesaw existence over the nineties was about to continue in 1995/96 where they again found themselves at the wrong end of the table along with West Hartlepool but they were saved by a reversal of the rules that had seen them lose out a few years earlier.
In November of 1995 Saracens gained the financial backing of Nigel Wray and this enabled the club to recruit the likes of Michael Lynagh, Philippe Sella, Francois Pienaar and Kyran Bracken. Saracens moved again to Enfield FC's ground and they started the new season with a victory over title favourites Leicester but only finished seventh just missing out on Heineken Cup qualification.
The 1997/98 season, was a landmark year. They began a ground share with Watford F.C. and their 22,000 all seater Vicarage Road Stadium. The appointment of Peter Deakin as Marketing Director saw Saracens splashed all over the broadsheets, tabloids, magazines and T.V. and with the help of a small band of be-fezzed followers that had been following the club for a number of years, the year of the Fez began.
Close season signings like Danny Grewcock, Roberto Grau, Gavin Johnson and Ryan Constable now joined forces with the home grown talent of Tony Diprose, Richard Hill and Steve Ravenscroft to form a side that would prove a significant force during the season losing only 3 games during the season to finish second in the Premiership.
Now in December Saracens lost to third from bottom London Scottish in a shock defeat at home but a win against Bedford and West Hartlepool and a draw with Wasps still saw them in touch with leaders Leicester. The last half of the season was a roller coaster ride with Saracens going from eighth and out of European contention after a run of four loses, to eventually finishing third as London's top club.
The following season saw more stars flock to Vicarage Road with Mark Mapletoft, Thierry Lacroix, Scott Murray and Dan Luger joining the club along with Darragh O'Mahony and the up and coming Julian White. With the squad ravaged by World Cup duty and then injury the club's first attempt at the Heineken Cup was not a happy one. They lost 3 games by a couple of points in the last seconds of the game and didn't make the quarter finals. With a few games left they were looking at a possible failure to qualify for Europe again, but Kyran Bracken returned from a ten month injury to inspire Saracens into fourth place and Heineken Cup qualification.
However come October and Saracens had effectively crashed out of the Heineken Cup with back to back defeats to Cardiff and with the team shorn of internationals due to the Autumn Tests the final blow was dealt when Thomas Castaignède suffered an achilles injury. The results went downhill fast and a 5th place finish saw the club miss out on the final Heineken Cup place.
Saracens is the only English premiership club so far to have toured Japan, and has a relationship with Fukuoka Sanix Bombs. They played Sanix at Global Arena at the start of Buck Shelford's reign as head coach and won comfortably. (They had a harder game on the same tour in Tokyo against Suntory Sungoliath.)
[edit] Current squad
[edit] Current England elite squad
[edit] Other internationals
- Ben Broster - (Wales)
- Shane Byrne (Ireland)
- Richard Haughton - (England Sevens)
- Richard Hill (England)
- Iain Fullarton (Scotland)
- Ben T Russell - (England Sevens)
- Dan Scarbrough (England)
- David Seymour (England Sevens)
- Hugh Vyvyan (England)
[edit] Club honours
- Tetley's Bitter Cup
- Champions: 1998
- Wildcard Winners
- Champions: 2004/2005
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Fansite
- Saracens F.C on itsrugby.co.uk
| Federation: | Rugby Football Union |
| National teams: | England • England Saxons • England Sevens • British and Irish Lions |
| International Competitions: | Rugby World Cup • Six Nations Championship • Heineken Cup • European Challenge Cup • European Shield • Churchill Cup • Rugby World Cup Sevens |
| Domestic Competitions: | Guinness Premiership • EDF Energy Cup |
| Guinness Premiership teams: | Bath • Bristol • Gloucester • Harlequins • Leicester Tigers • London Irish • Newcastle Falcons • Northampton Saints • Sale Sharks • Saracens • London Wasps • Worcester Warriors |
| National Division One teams: | Bedford • Cornish Pirates • Coventry • Doncaster • Exeter Chiefs • Leeds Tykes • London Welsh • Moseley • Newbury • Nottingham • Otley • Pertemps Bees • Plymouth Albion • Rotherham • Sedgley Park • Waterloo |
