The UAFC

Sarries deserved the win...but rugby is the loser.

Nigel Owens is not the world's best referee.

Why didn't I just go out and cut the lawn?

Waste of a lovely afternoon.

Luckily We were shopping and left something running in the car, by the time those lovely AA people got to us the game was nearly over.

It's time to be fair and reasonable I would like to say how Sarries deserved the win and are a credit to our wonderful game - obviously I can't say that because I am so jarred off and upset with a terrible game and a poor advert for the formerly great HC. I just hate that they exist - never mind win.

Rant over.

Saracens deserved to win. Their half backs were a distance better than Racing's. Controlled the game extremely well. Farrell is excellent both in play and goalkicking. He may go over the edge at times but nowhere close to what people here like to say.

Delighted for Small man who as well as being a top bloke I think may also be the first man to lift the trophy as a player and coach.
May be wrong though.

Saracens have been the best side in Europe this season from start to finish by a distance.
They are set up brilliantly based on pressure organised defence and attack from 1-15.

I think Racing showed the way to play them towards the end though when they picked and went with numbers from the Base of rucks through the middle.
When Sarries defend they hit and spread and don't over commit to the breakdown.
Pick and goes through the middle would be their achilles so their defence has to rally in and the ball can be moved wide.

To do that you need big dynamic carrying forwards so I guess that rules us out for the foreseeable.

I only saw the last twenty minutes. There was only going to be one winner by that time. Would a fully fit Carter have made the difference?

How many spectators were in attendance?

OneMore wrote:How many spectators were in attendance?

Supposedly 58,000.

Without doubt the best team in Europe won today. Also if i am not mistaken, they broke the 6/6 group wins curse by going on and winning it. Maybe it is determination after coming close so many times but they seem to have impressive mental strength and togetherness which a lot of other teams would envy.

Rugby ain't pretty and some of their players may not be top of many christmas card lists but it is effective and they got what they deserved today.

solidarity wrote:I only saw the last twenty minutes. There was only going to be one winner by that time. Would a fully fit Carter have made the difference?

No.
Their side was a couple of years behind Saracens in terms of development and experience.
To their own admission.

Shan wrote:Saracens deserved to win. Their half backs were a distance better than Racing's. Controlled the game extremely well. Farrell is excellent both in play and goalkicking. He may go over the edge at times but nowhere close to what people here like to say.

Bullshite, he is a cheap-shot merchant and he should have missed the final, 2 weeks for his misdeed against Wasps was ludicrous just as Marler's as a joke in his circumstances.

On the day the better of two terrible teams won neither team had the ability to lift the game given the conditions .

Everybody thinks the game is the same regardless of the conditions to-day was a great example of how a wet ball favours fat forwards and defenders . I doubt if one player ran more than five yards with the ball in hand and neither side scored a try .

Nigel when he watches the game will realise he did not have one of his better days and at least 6 points were awarded to Saracens based on bad decisions a score line of 15 /9 would be more in keeping with difference bewteen the two sides .

Saracens have a lovely way to play the game off side , as the team plays the ball out from the ruck the wide players advance beyond the gain line and retire slowly when the carrier is tackled ( this ensures the scrum half is aware the option of going wide is non existent on a quick recycle and passes to a forward ) They also invariable get one or more players on the ground beyond the tackle/ ruck who ensure players supporting the ball carrier can not join the ruck at pace, thereby slowing the recycle not that the Racing scrum half could recycle the ball at any speed about the slowest scrum half in the NH

All in all a terrible game to watch.

Saracens fully deserved the win, Their half backs controlled the game very well.Itoje was immense.

I disagree with the majority on here as I thought Saracens gave a Masterclass in wet ball rugby which I enjoyed and appreciated.

The consensus on here is that we can only play with a dry ball.
Well our coaches and players should sit down and watch that final to understand how to play with a wet one.
We are short of personnel in the front 5 which doesn't help but tactically you have to be adaptable in conditions and Saracens wearing t-shirts saying whatever the weather before the game exemplifies them.

We must learn to be adaptable in adverse conditions and to give a clue it ain't spinning the ball wide.

Basically both sides were playing wet ball rugby but Nigel failed to spot exactly how Saracens were executing the turn overs which was by blocking the support players and denying the quick recycle with players retreating slowly.

And to be honest Baz Saracens didn't change their game to any great extent it has always been based on 9/10 forward grunt and offside backline defence.