My Debut | StoneX Stadium
Where did the past 10 years go? Anniversaries and special celebrations keep coming round and we should all be putting our hands together for ‘Home, Sweet Home’ - StoneX Stadium.
The new home of Saracens was used for the first time in a competitive fixture, with Cardiff Blues arriving in north London for a game in the old Anglo-Welsh LV= Cup.
In what was the first professional rugby union match to be played on an artificial pitch, the game doubled as a ‘test event’ for the new £18m then Allianz Park. The club invited 3,500 Sarries fans to turn up for free to watch the game.
The club’s bold decision to abandon grass was quickly viewed as being a success as the pristine and immaculate surface lived up to the pre-match hype of helping to create a "faster, safer and more entertaining game".
The honour of scoring the first points at the new venue fell to home outside half Nils Mordt, who landed the first of his four penalties in the fourth minute. He went on to score 14 points, while Cardiff No 8 Robin Copeland picked up the first try near the end of the first half.
The ‘Men in Black’ were leading 12-11 in a tight tussle until Duncan Taylor provided the scoring pass for James Short to power over in the 79th minute to grab the first Saracens try at the new ground. That made the game safe and ensured the opening day finished on a winning note.
Here are the first 23 of 182 different Saracens players to have played for the senior men’s side at the StoneX Stadium in competitive matches.
Saracens: Alex Goode (Jack Wilson 56); Joe Maddock (Sam Stanley 63), Duncan Taylor, Adam Powell, James Short; Nils Mordt, Ben Spencer (Ali Price 78); Nick Auterac; Jamie George (John Smit 56), Carlos Nieto (Petrus du Plessis 25), Eoin Sheriff (Darren Fearn 76), Mouritz Botha (Alistair Hargreaves 61), Maro Itoje, Nick Fenton-Wells, Tom Jubb (Justin Melck 61)
Scorers: Try: James Short; Con: NIls Mordt; Pens: Nils Mordt 4
