USA v. Saracens

(Thanks from Saracens.com)

Played at the Honourable Artillery Company Grounds in the middle of London, you would have never guessed that this was a match in which neither team put out their strongest side. Pounding defensive hits, hard running, and extremely high work rates from both sides made the match a very exciting game. We put up the first 3 points, only to give them back on the ensuing kick-off 2 minutes later. It was back and forth a bit in the first half, but the majority of the possession found its way into Saracens hands.

There was a swirling wind, mostly going our way in the first half, so that helped with possession. However, in the second half, the possession percentage would find itself almost completely with the Saracens - nearly 80% of the time. Playing this much defense is near impossible in such a grueling match, but the boys stuck their toes in the ground when they had to, scrambled when they needed to, and turned the ball back over to prevent scores countless numbers of times. In the end, it was just too much for them (or any team) to bear and the Sarries finished the game off with two tries, one with no time left, to win 18-6.

There was a lot of pride shown in this match and the guys proved that everyone is pushing for the spot on this team, and everyone deserves to be here. A win would obviously have been nice, but we can walk away from that match with pride and determination going forward. We have our first test match on Saturday against Portugal and will be traveling there tomorrow.