Rugby Union: Saracens' stars sign off in style

Saracens 48 Wasps 18

AS the dressing-room clock ticked relentlessly towards kick-off time, the home-grown supporting cast of the all-singing, all-dancing rugby extravaganza known as Saracens RFC - Steve Ravenscroft, George Chuter and Ben Sturnham - looked to the big names, the star turns, for some much-needed emotional reassurance. What they saw was enough to set their nerve ends on fire; Francois Pienaar and Michael Lynagh, World Cup winners both, were shaking like hormonal 15-year-olds on a first date while Kyran Bracken, the England scrum-half, could be heard muttering: "What if we lose? What if we lose?"

The rampant insecurity could only mean one of two things: that the top- of-the-bill acts had somehow discovered stage fright at the worst possible moment or, conversely, that they cared so passionately about beating Wasps in the Tetley's Bitter Cup final that it was almost as if their previous achievements counted for nothing. Within five minutes of the start, the answer was as plain as the noble nose on Philippe Sella's face. They wanted it so badly, it hurt.

That realisation carried with it an emphatic confirmation, as if any were needed, of their places in the pantheon. Three years previously, Pienaar's leadership qualities had helped him elevate mere sport into a vibrant, if temporary, symbol of South African national unity. At the same time, Lynagh and Sella were setting Test records that might never be broken while establishing themselves among the very greatest practitioners of their respective rugby arts. As the songwriter once asked: "Who could want for anything more?"

Yet all three were prepared to go the extra mile in helping a blue-collar north London club to a place in the light after decades of anonymity in some dark and dingy corner of the union basement. The Ravenscrofts and Sturnhams of the piece could hardly fail to respond to that generosity of rugby spirit and indeed, the uncapped underlings were inspired to perform at Test throttle. Ravenscroft, in particular, was a revelation as he finally emerged from his Lynagh-Sella cocoon to stand tall and strong in the heat of the Twickenham sun.

"After all I'd been through in the previous 15 years, I was still nervous as hell," admitted Lynagh. "But dealing with the fear of failure, conquering the insecurity that eats away at you, is one of the secrets of sporting achievement. It was a cup final and I had one shot at it, one chance to get it right. I always wanted to go out on a high, to retire in the knowledge that I'd been competitive right to the end. What happened out there vindicates my decision to retire now; in fact, I feel even more comfortable with the thought than I did before the game.

"In obvious ways, there are links between this victory and the World Cup win with Australia in '91. I'm back at Twickenham and my parents are there in the Rose Room drinking tea, just as they were seven years go. But I'm not a great one for comparing matches and experiences; all I can say is that there is a special, more intimate sort of satisfaction in winning something with your club. I felt it back home in Brisbane, I felt it during my time in Italy with Treviso and I'm feeling it again now."

Lynagh conducted affairs with so firm a grip and with such exquisite timing that he might have taken the field with a symphonic score under one arm and a baton between thumb and forefinger; he deployed the set of golf clubs in his right boot with Nicklaus-like dexterity and when he opted to run, he led the Wasps loose forwards up any number of cul- de-sacs before off-loading a range of passes that seemed to have been weighed to the last ounce.

In front of him, Pienaar wreaked havoc, his red-raw approach teetering on the brink of illegality. It was almost as if the blond and bloodied Springbok was aiming to leave his calling card on as many opponents as possible before his suspect hamstring snapped like a violin string; an early "Good afternoon and welcome to Twickenham" assault on Alex King earned him an earwigging from the excellent referee, Chris White. As it turned out, the hamstring behaved itself sufficiently to allow its owner an even more impressive try-saving hit on Andy Reed as late as the 79th minute.

By which time, Saracens were over the hills and far, far away. In effect, they took delivery of the trophy when Gavin Johnson, a magisterial figure at full-back, collected Tony Diprose's pass one-handed to complete a 32nd minute try. Pienaar's fellow Transvaaler had already created an early score for Sella, who, in turn, had unlocked the door for Ryan Constable's searing sprint to the right corner. The third try opened up a decisive 22-6 advantage. Thank you and good night.

Four more tries of infinite contrast and variety would follow: Danny Grewcock's close-range stretch on the stroke of half-time, Ravenscroft's completion of a perfect Lynagh grubber kick, Bracken's trademark spin and scuttle down the left touchline, Richard Wallace's soft shoe shuffle on the opposite side of the pitch. It amounted to a rout very nearly as painful as the one inflicted by Bath on Gloucester eight years ago. "To appreciate the best life has to offer, you sometimes have to experience the worst," shrugged Lawrence Dallaglio, the Wasps captain, philosophically. He knew he had suffered a shellacking.

There are those who believe Saracens should appreciate the good times while they can; Lynagh and Sella will not be around to light up their midfield next season, Johnson may disappear into his personal stretch of the Upper Zambezi to fish for crocodile and Pienaar will be another year and another campaign older. But as a beaming Diprose said on Saturday: "We've finally succeeded in setting the standard and it's up to others to match it. Yes, we're up there to be shot at. No, this is not a flash in the pan."

Saracens: Tries Sella, Constable, Johnson, Grewcock, Ravenscroft, Bracken, R Wallace; Conversions Lynagh 5; Drop goal Lynagh. Wasps: Tries Volley, Roiser; Conversion Rees; Penalties Rees 2.

Saracens: G Johnson; R Constable, P Sella (M Singer, 79), S Ravenscroft, B Daniel (R Wallace, 28); M Lynagh, K Bracken (M Olsen, 79); R Grau (A Olver, 79), G Chuter (G Botterman, 76), P Wallace, P Johns, D Grewcock, B Sturnham, A Diprose (capt), F Pienaar

Wasps: G Rees; S Roiser, M Denney, R Henderson, L Scrase (P Sampson, 52); A King, M Friday (A Gomarsall, 74); D Molloy (A Black, 74), S Mitchell (T Leota, 65), W Green, M Weedon (A Reed, 74), S Shaw, J Worsley (M White, 57), L Dallaglio (capt), P Volley.

Referee: C White (Cheltenham).