Saracens’ hopes of securing a home tie in the Champions Cup last 16 were dashed as they succumbed to a 32-24 defeat against a determined Castres side at the StoneX Stadium on Sunday. However, the greater concern for England head coach Steve Borthwick will be the hamstring injury sustained by hooker Jamie George, casting doubt over his availability for the Six Nations opener against Ireland in Dublin.
George, who was recently replaced by Maro Itoje as England captain, entered the fray as a second-half replacement but could do little to prevent Saracens from letting the match slip away. The 34-year-old’s afternoon went from bad to worse when he was forced off the pitch in the closing minutes with a hamstring problem.
Jamie has hurt his hamstring. We’re not quite sure how serious it is at the moment.
– Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall
England’s Hooker Headache
With the Six Nations set to kick off in less than a fortnight, Borthwick faces a potential selection headache at hooker. If George is ruled out of the Ireland clash, the England coach will likely have to choose between the in-form Theo Dan and the experienced Luke Cowan-Dickie to fill the No. 2 jersey.
The injury to George compounds Borthwick’s worries, as he is already without the services of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Sam Underhill, and George Furbank due to various ailments. As the England squad prepares to head to Girona for a warm-weather training camp, the medical team will be closely monitoring the fitness of several key players.
Itoje’s Leadership Test
For newly appointed England captain Maro Itoje, the Castres match served as his final appearance for Saracens before formally beginning his tenure as skipper. However, under Itoje’s leadership, Saracens failed to close out the victory in a manner all too familiar to England supporters.
With Saracens trailing by five points in the 73rd minute, Itoje could be seen deep in conversation with his lieutenants during a lengthy stoppage in play. Despite his efforts to rally the troops, Saracens were unable to turn the tide, ultimately wasting an opportunity to secure a home tie in the knockout stages.
Castres’ Impressive Fightback
Credit must be given to the visitors, who mounted an impressive comeback after Saracens had taken a 19-14 lead into halftime. Castres, perhaps liberated by the knowledge that their qualification had already been secured, caught the hosts cold in the opening exchanges and never looked back.
- Theo Chabouni and captain Adrien Seguret scored crucial second-half tries to turn the match in Castres’ favor
- Saracens struggled to find a way through the resolute French defense in the closing stages
As Saracens now face the prospect of an away fixture in the last 16, they will need to regroup quickly and address the issues that led to this disappointing defeat. For England, the focus will be on assessing the fitness of Jamie George and developing contingency plans ahead of their Dublin showdown.
FULL TIME: A disappointing result at StoneX Stadium.
— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) January 22, 2023
Saracens will now face an away trip in the #HeinekenChampionsCup Round of 16.#SARvCAS pic.twitter.com/O3EcoUyDlZ
