Jeremy Guscott column: Saracens have weaponry to conquer Europe now

It doesn’t matter whether you’re going for singles, doubles or trebles in terms of trophies and titles at the end of the season, because getting across the line just once is a challenge. However, success breeds success, and when a group of players gets a taste for it they want more. That’s where Saracens are now.
They have had the success of winning the Premiership title last season, and there are few things more satisfying than winning your own domestic title. That said, the European Cup is special, and it is the added extra that every club want after they have become domestic champions, because otherwise it starts to weigh you down until you win it.
The expectation just grows, and although Saracens have had one final, they were beaten two years ago by a Toulon side that were better on the day. This time it is Saracens who go in to the final in Lyon in a fortnight as favourites against Racing 92. That billing is based on the English club’s experience of being in the last four of the tournament for the last four years, whereas this season is a first for Racing.
If Saracens were going in against a Munster, Leinster or Toulouse with huge travelling support behind them, they would feel more pressure, but against a Parisian side with a relatively small spectator base like their own, that’s unlikely to be a factor. That’s why they should wear the favourites tag pretty comfortably.
Where Saracens, with the likes of Schalk Brits, George Kruis, the Vunipola brothers, Owen Farrell, Brad Barritt and Alex Goode have tasted success already, this Racing side have yet to be crowned Top 14 champions.
Set against that Dan Carter has blended in brilliantly at the club, and brought the gift of being inclusive and generous in terms of what he gives, with his high standards rubbing off on his team-mates. The Racing pattern is also something which, surprisingly, he is used to.
They set about trying to win the game the easiest way, playing the simplest form of rugby – and that’s what New Zealand have always done. Carter is very comfortable kicking the ball accurately for position and territory, and for Racing he kicks the ball a lot.
That should suit Saracens, because if you kick loosely to Chris Ashton and Goode you do so at your peril. It is almost as if they have been building towards this season, because the English champions do not play in a recognisable way, as they did four years ago. Their pattern now is more risk-taking, with forwards prepared to attack from anywhere.
Whereas, in the past, Saracens would just boot, bash and pressure to force an exit, these days their game has opened up. Goode and Duncan Taylor have had excellent seasons, Chris Wyles is hugely consistent, and with Ashton up and running again, and big carriers in the pack like Billy and Mako Vunipola, Brits, Maro Itoje and Kruis, they can score tries throughout the team, with multiple threats from 1 to 15.
Saracens will also be happy if Racing switch from a kicking game to running the ball back at them. With the likes of Brice Dulin, Joe Rocokoco and Juan Imhoff, the French side could play into their hands, because the instinct of all three is to counter-attack. The problem with that is that an inexperienced side like Racing will get tighter and tighter in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a final, and mistakes can mount.
The Saracens engine-room is now world class with Itoje and Kruis leaving their signature all over matches, and that’s a huge consideration despite the presence of Luke Charteris in the Racing pack. Billy Vunipola is also rising to the occasion every time it’s asked of him, and he will want to make the same impression on Chris Masoe that he did last weekend on Nathan Hughes.
I also like the look of Michael Rhodes as a dynamic ball-in-hand blindside, and  Jamie George might be back on the bench soon to give Brits a break. He’s a great addition as the England hooker-in-waiting.
Saracens will know they cannot give too many penalties away against Carter, but if they can mount the same defensive intensity that they did against Wasps – where they kept the best attacking side in Europe try-less from the second minute to the 75th – then Racing could find it hard going.
However, Racing showed that Saracens might not have it all their own way with their brutal hammering of Leicester. They beat them up, smashing the Tigers back in the first 40 minutes, and rattling them so badly they took their eye off the ball.
Leicester wanted to run it, and it played into Racing’s hands because they were able to dominate the Tigers physically – but it meant that there were gaps in the French defence that Leicester did not exploit that Saracens can.
Farrell has had a very good season, but he paid the price against Wasps for making an illegal tackle on Dan Robson after the red mist descended when James Haskell smashed him. Farrell is still a young man looking after his emotions, but he must remember that if Racing go looking for him in a physical way, and he gets rattled, it will be to the detriment of Saracens.
Overall, Saracens have the know-how and experience to do a job. That is their strength, and I’ve enjoyed watching because of their change of direction and the smart way they have done it. They are clever team, and are professional enough that their focus will be on winning the European Cup – but they will not lose sight either of the great springboard it could give them for a European and Premiership double.