Saracens & Kandy braced for forward battle

Matt Jones - Editor 21:56 14/09/2015
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  • West Asia Champions Abu Dhabi Saracens will be confident at home.

    Despite defeat to Doha in their inaugural Asia Rugby Western Clubs Champions League fixture, Abu Dhabi Saracens are in buoyant mood as they welcome Sri Lankan champions Kandy to the capital tonight.

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    In a West Asia Cup final rematch in Qatar on Friday night, Sarries took the lead against the hosts but Doha gained a slice of revenge for March’s final defeat with a 19-14 win to put themselves in the driving seat for Champions League glory.

    Powerhouse South African hooker Gio Fourie scored the game’s opening try but mistakes from Sarries led to three breakaway tries for the hosts, new arrival Garth van Niekerk touching down for a consolation try near the end.

    Sarries’ joint head coach Craig Nutt was nevertheless impressed with his side’s performance and is hoping the result will be different at Al Ghazal tonight.

    “We’re really looking forward to the game,” said Welshman Nutt.

    “We have a couple of guys coming back in, including skipper Jaen Botes. We have two new guys getting the nod too, all of whom had visa issues last week, and there’s exciting times ahead this season.

    “We have got strength in depth this year. Injuries could have had us in trouble last year but in pre-season we’ve had 48 players training among the firsts and seconds, which is unheard of for Sarries.

    “We have a very happy camp at the moment. To go over to Doha and play like we did without a full squad and put a performance in like we did was great.

    “We made three mistakes and they scored three 70 metre plus tries. It happens, that’s rugby sometimes. There were also a few calls that didn’t go our way and it could have been a different result but overall we were very pleased.”

    Someone else who is looking forward to an entertaining spectacle is Abu Dhabi Harlequins coach Mike McFarlane.

    The Englishman’s team face Sarries in the opening round of UAE Premiership fixtures a week on Friday, while Quins are in the unique position of having played Kandy in a pre-season friendly earlier this month, winning 32-17 in Sri Lanka’s Central Province region.

    “I think it’s two teams with two different strengths. Whilst kandy have some big lads up front Saracens have quite a forward orientated team which are powerful and effective,” said McFarlane.

    “It will be interesting, if they have enough ball, to watch the fleet-footed speed demons in the Kandy backs as their footwork and patterns of play were excellent.

    “I think it will be a physical but fast-paced game which will test the conditioning levels of the Saracens, but they should hold their own as they’re West Asia champions.”

    Doha lead the way in the competition after one game, Kandy and Kazakhstan champions Olymp playing out a thrilling 35-35 draw in Dubai on Saturday.

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