Jeremy Guscott: These new-look Saracens can lift the Heineken Cup

Saracens have made a massive swing in their playing style, and it has been reflected in their fortunes following their crushing 46-6 win over Clermont. It is brave, and it is very impressive.
As individuals Saracens have very few who are world class, but what I admire about their coaches is that they get the optimum out of their players. This is particularly true of their conditioning, which is top level. You cannot make the phenomenal physical effort required to play as Schalk Brits and Jacques Burger did in that Heineken Cup semi-final if you are not in peak shape.
Saracens had only 35 per cent of territory and possession against Clermont, and under those circumstances normally you would not expect a win of that size. They succeeded because their attention to detail and precision of execution at Twickenham was remarkable, and they sent a very good Clermont side packing.
If you had spoken to their coaches beforehand I am sure they would have said that they thought their strategy could win – but not by that margin.
If Saracens win the double then everyone will put them on a pedestal. However, the real trick is not to copy them because the way they play, and the players they have, are different from those at other clubs. What Saracens have worked out is how to maximise on what they’ve got, and that is the main lesson that other clubs can learn from them.
For instance, who else has a player like Brits? He is an anomaly because his skill set for his position, hooker, is almost unique. In previous seasons he has stood out at Saracens for his solo brilliance, but this season he is not alone because there are players throughout the team who are looking for attacking opportunities.
The whole Saracens dynamic has changed, and while it is not the greatest form of attacking rugby, you can only admire it. Their overall strategy is still a defensive one which relies on forcing mistakes out of the opposition through their wolf pack aggression in the tackle, and then capitalising on them.
Clermont suffered because they are a side reliant on individuals – and in the end the collective will of Saracens was greater on the day than the individual skill of Clermont.
Chris Ashton looks as if he might be about to benefit from the new Saracens approach. His attitude appears to have changed, and it’s possibly because of his exclusion from the England team. He might not have consciously thought he was guaranteed an England place, but last season he failed to adapt to the new defensive regimes at Saracens and England.
What he has done for Saracens is not exceptional, or extraordinary, in try scoring terms. However, he has become part of their new counter-attacking system, and the big difference is that he is making tries as well as scoring them.
Ashton’s trick when he first came into the England side was being a support runner who got on the end of passes and then finished the chances that came his way. However, his defence was a weakness, and so was the fact that he did not make many passes to his team-mates. So, when England changed to more of a passing game and he did not adapt, it counted against him.
The signs now are that Ashton has improved his defence and he is also more inclusive the way he plays for Saracens. He is looking not only to score himself, but also to pass to players in good attacking positions.
He is now rejoining the England wing queue which he was at the head of last season. What he should do now is keep quiet, score the tries, make the passes, let his rugby do the talking, and wait for his opportunity.
That might come quickly following Jack Nowell’s injury, but whether he gets in ahead of Marland Yarde, Jonny May or Anthony Watson remains to be seen – although he has put himself in a good position. What Ashton should remember this time is that Mark Cueto didn’t score an England try for ages, and yet he stayed in the side because of his overall contribution.
When you are dropped you should take it on the chin, suck it up, and get yourself back to the head of the queue.
However, I believe that the way England are playing now will suit him because they are making plenty of breaks.
Ashton will have another big stage on which to make his case when Saracens meet Toulon in the Heineken Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in three week’s time.
Saracens’ magnificent semi-final performance – one of the best in European Cup history – makes you think that if they produce more of the same it’s very difficult to see them losing. It was so clinical, so pinpoint, that it was great to watch.
Toulon have a group of stars welded together by the Jonny Wilkinson work ethic, and they will not give up like Clermont did. However, Saracens are more than capable of winning it.
If they do succeed, then Saracens’ next aim must be to build a real community around the club and become like Northampton, Bath and Leicester.
We saw how Wasps, despite winning the Heineken Cup twice, let that opportunity slip, and lost support and sponsorship when their successful run ended.
The message to Saracens is take advantage while you can.