When Saracens played their first European Cup final, against Toulon in 2014, it was a meeting of two clubs who had approached the venue in Cardiff from opposite directions. The French club, owned by the impatient Mourad Boudjellal, aimed to buy success, recruiting players, many of them World Cup winners, from around the world; the Premiership side, encumbered by a less generoussalary cap, looked to build something lasting. Toulon’s approach yielded three consecutive European Cups and a Top 14 title but five years on only two of the players involved in the 23-6 victory are still with the club. Progress was steady but the experience of failure was turned to advantage: nine of the players involved against Clermont took part against Leinster, seven of them starting the match, and the director of rugby, MarkMcCall, also remains. “It is about more than the rugby at Saracens,” says the Bristol coach, Pat Lam, whose club are taking a similar approach by adding a sprinkling of high-profile signings to supplement players who have come through the system. “I sent Mark a message after the victory over Leinster saying Saracens were great ambassadors for the Premiership and the game in England. It has cost him about £40m as he makes good losses every year and his approach has changed: at the start big names were recruited – Thomas Castaignède, Michael Lynagh, Philippe Sella, Francois Pienaar and Abdelatif Benazzi among them – but the investment yielded success only in the TetleyBitter Cup. There were two catalysts for change: the arrival of Brendan Venter as the director of rugby in 2009, together with his assistant, McCall; and the move from Vicarage Road to Allianz Park in 2013. “By undertaking one of our programmes you will gain a unique insight into how Saracens have gone from a chronically under-achieving organisation to double [now triple]European and four-time Premiership champions,” it says in the prospectus. “You will have the opportunity to understand how a cultural change, a strong set of values and an emphasisonhappiness and making memories have propelled Saracens to one of the top sides in world club rugby.” The aim is sustained success. Saracens had lost two props to injury, including Mako Vunipola, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn hamstring, plus Maro Itoje to the sin-bin. Saracens missed out on the double in 2017, partying hard and losing at Exeter in the semi-finals after beating Clermont, but they have an extra week this year and will take some stopping. It makes Saracens very powerful and able to overcome a team likeLeinster that has full international backing and can manage its players over the year.
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