Match Reaction | James Tirrell reflects on London Scottish win
Saracens Men's coach James Tirrell was delighted with the response shown by his side in their 99-27 victory over London Scottish on Saturday.
The Men in Black got their first victory of the Premiership Rugby Cup campaign in emphatic fashion with a 15-try win over Championship side London Scottish. Having taken the coaching reigns alongside Rob Webber for the cup campaign, James Tirrell was pleased with the display his players produced at the StoneX.
"This a group that are keen to put on the Saracens shirt and perform. Last week they scrapped hard and fought well against a tough Ealing side. That attitude remained this time around whilst also being able to apply pressure in key areas that could lead to points on the board.
A large portion of points scored by Saracens across the game were off the back of rolling mauls with James Hadfield the beneficiary, scoring six tries matching the record for most tries in an English professional game. Tirrell commended the work of his forward pack to produce such a dominant display.
"Rob Webber has done a brilliant job with this group of the last few weeks, it's been great to coach together. There were standouts across the forward contingent and everyone did their job to full effect when it came to executing in the red zone."
Amongst the back line, Olly Hartley managed to make his first start of the season returning from a long spell on the side lines. Alongside newcomer Sam Spink, the pair produced impressive performances in front of a home crowd filled with anticipation.
"To come back from a 7 month lay-off and not only play the full 80 but consistently push us into good positions on the field is a credit to the sort of character Olly is. Alongside Sam who is also returning from an injury it was great to see that combination in full swing."
The game also aligned with the last week of Callum Braley's term with the club. Tirrell mentioned how valuable the Italian international has been to the group during the course of his time at Saracens.
"Since Callum joined the club in the summer his contributions have been extremely beneficial both on and off the pitch. His leadership and experience has been golden not only for our young scrum-halves but across the group. His performance today rounds off what has been a great few months with him in camp, and I wish him all the best for the future."
Tirrell also reiterated the benefit of this developmental competition as his side look ahead to a clash with Harlequins in a fortnights time to round off the first block of Premiership Cup fixtures.
"We just want to get better as individuals and collectively, the competition allows this group the chance to consistently play and invest in the Saracens model. A week off allows us to hone in on that and get the best out of this squad ahead of another tough London derby at the StoneX."
