Theo Dan demands Gloucester's full attention with a frantic break. Photo: PA/Rihanna Chadwick Saracens 46 Gloucester 24
Saracens know a thing or two about producing hookers. Current England captain Jamie George spent his earlier years as understudy to one of the Premier League's greatest players overseas, 'Shulk Brits', before taking the starting jersey for himself. As time goes by, history seems to be repeating itself in north London, with Theo Dan looking every bit the leader in the Saracens No. 2 shirt.
Of course, before he was replaced by George after 50 minutes of that comfortable, if misguided, win over a much-changed Gloucester, Dan was, along with Owen Farrell and Alex Goode, Saracens' shining light. One lineout throw was missed, but he held the ball fiercely and his tackling was both accurate and combative. Saracens have been lucky in the prostitution but Mark McCall has rejected any idea of a changing of the guard, despite Dan making a compelling case for a starting XI for both club and country.
“Jamie, when he came into his own, had equal playing time with Schalk when they were at their peak,” Saracens' director of rugby said. “Whoever starts and who finishes will get a more or less equal number of minutes. Jamie has played a lot of rugby this year, but Theo hasn't played enough. It was important that he started and played 50 matches.”
Saracens' seven-try win was not quite a game of two halves, but one of two hat-tricks. Firstly, in just 20 minutes, striker Tom Parton scored the first three tries in Premier League history; then, in the second half, Gloucester's Josh Hathaway pulled off an even quicker set in 13 minutes, with the match long over.
Victory took Saracens a step closer to securing a play-off spot in a tight race and although the hosts led by 22 points at the break, the second 40 minutes were against a Gloucester side with an eye on the challenge. The Cup left director of rugby Mark McCall scratching his head ahead of the final, in which promising young center Ollie Hartley was carried off on a stretcher with a knee injury.
“It was a mixed bag in terms of performance; which we have been for most of the season,” McCall said. “It's a small idea of what we can do and what we're capable of, but there's quite a big difference between us, at our best and at our worst. We need to figure out how to get better for as long as possible.”
Josh Hathaway scores a superb hat-trick for Gloucester Credit : Getty Images/Henry Brown
Saracens uncharacteristically let Gloucester return to game after the break – even if the result was never in doubt – and during their first-half purple patch, the combination of Farrell and Goode was irresistible. Along with Dan, the duo contributed to Parton's first two tries before Aled Davies set up the striker for a hat-trick.
Parton subsequently admitted his three record-breaking tries were a fluke, but the same could not be said for Gloucester striker Hathaway. The dual-qualified forward, who played age-group rugby for Wales and England, scored three fine breakaway tries in the second half, with Seb Blake's fourth try adding a losing bonus point for Gloucester. It was the sweet play of the prostitute that determined Hathaway's starting score.
George Skivington joked that he was wary of praising Hathaway too much having already seen one Wales-qualified Gloucester player go to the NFL. However, only time will tell whether an Immanuel Fahey-Waboso-style tug-of-war will break out over Hathaway's precocious talent.
“Josh is very important to Gloucester and possibly two different countries. I don't want “He's got to get too far ahead of himself because he has some work to do,” said Gloucester's director of rugby.
“If you score a hat-trick in any Premier League game, people will start talking to you. If you do it away at Saracens, under the same pressure as we did today, that's very good.”
Two hat-tricks, two heroes; but the day belonged to the Saracens hooker.
Match details
Scoring sequence: 5-0 Parton try, 7-0 Pharrell Cohn, 12-0 Parton try, 14-0 Pharrell Cohn, 19-0 Parton try, 22-0 Pharrell Pen, 27-0 McFarland try, 32-0 Willis try, 32 -5 Hathaway try, 37-5 Hartley try, 39-5 Manu Vunipola try, 44-5 Sinti try, 46-5 Manu Vunipola try, 46-10 Hathaway try, 46-15 Hathaway try, 46-17 Atkinson try, 46 -22 tries for Blake, 46-24 minus Atkinson.
HT: 22-0
Saracens: Goode; R. Segun, L. Cinti, N. Tompkins, T. Parton (Hartley, 51); O Farrell (c) (Manu Vunipola 58), A Davies (Simpson 64); Mako Vunipola (Mavi 51), T Dan (George 51), M Riccioni (Hoskins 51), M Itoje, T McFarland (Isiekwe 56), JM Gonzalez, B Earl, T . Willis (B. Vunipola, 64).
< p>Gloucester: J. Barton (Nixon, 65); J. Hathaway, L. Hillman-Cooper, S. Atkinson (Reeves 60), J. Morris (Jones 63); S Atkinson, S Englefield (Chapman 52); M. Vivas (Elrington 43), S. Sosino (Blake 43), F. Balmain (Knight 43), A. Clarke, F. Thomas, A. Tuisue (Eite 52), L. Ludlow (c) , J. Clement.
Yellow card: Tuis 41
Referee: E. Woodthorpe
Attendance: 10,069
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