Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall has called for a return to form after the club's "incredibly disappointing" 36-28 defeat at Leicester Tigers. The loss saw Saracens fall short in their pursuit of a top-four Prem finish, with four first-half tries conceded en route to their downfall.
McCall was forthright in his assessment of the game, stating that his side were not ready for the big game and fell victim to frustration and disappointment. He has now vowed to take action, declaring that he "don't want to tell you guys what's happened over the last 24 hours, but rest assured that we've called a spade a spade and we've been honest with everybody and everyone's been honest with us."
The Saracens boss has taken inspiration from French powerhouses Toulouse, who he believes have successfully built their team through the development of young players. McCall now hopes to replicate this approach at Saracens, citing his club's recent knowledge-sharing initiative with Toulouse as a source of guidance.
Toulouse, who won the Champions Cup six times under the leadership of coaches such as Laurent Trintignant and Gonzalo Quesada, will welcome back a number of key players for Sunday's clash at the Stade Vélodrome. The French side have been urged to ensure a home draw in the quarterfinals after their second-round defeat to Glasgow.
McCall has set his sights on a positive return to form, urging Saracens to "do our talking on the pitch." With Toulouse poised for revenge against a team that narrowly escaped with a Champions Cup spot last season, the stage is set for an intense and compelling encounter at the Stade Vélodrome.
McCall was forthright in his assessment of the game, stating that his side were not ready for the big game and fell victim to frustration and disappointment. He has now vowed to take action, declaring that he "don't want to tell you guys what's happened over the last 24 hours, but rest assured that we've called a spade a spade and we've been honest with everybody and everyone's been honest with us."
The Saracens boss has taken inspiration from French powerhouses Toulouse, who he believes have successfully built their team through the development of young players. McCall now hopes to replicate this approach at Saracens, citing his club's recent knowledge-sharing initiative with Toulouse as a source of guidance.
Toulouse, who won the Champions Cup six times under the leadership of coaches such as Laurent Trintignant and Gonzalo Quesada, will welcome back a number of key players for Sunday's clash at the Stade Vélodrome. The French side have been urged to ensure a home draw in the quarterfinals after their second-round defeat to Glasgow.
McCall has set his sights on a positive return to form, urging Saracens to "do our talking on the pitch." With Toulouse poised for revenge against a team that narrowly escaped with a Champions Cup spot last season, the stage is set for an intense and compelling encounter at the Stade Vélodrome.
! Saracens were so pumped up going into this game but came out flat 
. Mark McCall's right though, they weren't ready for the big game 
. I think it's time for a fresh start and rebuilding that squad 
. Toulouse is like, the ultimate example of how to build a winning team through youth development 
. Saracens should totally take inspiration from them and develop those young guns 
! It's gonna be an epic clash on Sunday, btw 
. Can't wait to see what McCall has in store for us 
they've been trying to develop young players like Toulouse has done and it's worked out pretty well for them in the past, right? 
which is super important in rugby - you can't just rely on individual players to carry the load, you need everyone to be working together and trusting each other 
they're not trying to sweep things under the rug or make excuses, they're just acknowledging the problems and saying they're going to do something about them 
which is a big change from some other clubs I've seen who are always trying to spin it all in one way or another 
. I get it, every team has ups and downs, but this feels like a major identity crisis.
. Those guys are like the benchmark for European rugby right now. And if Saracens can adopt some of that youth development magic... watch out 
. But it's gonna take more than just a few tweaks to get them back on track, gotta mean business 
.
! Four first-half tries conceded? That's just mental 
. I mean, what happened to all that promise and hype around Saracens? They've got some top talent, but somehow they just can't get it together 
. They've built a culture of development and teamwork, and that's somethin' Saracens could definitely benefit from.
. These lads need to start deliverin', and they need to do it soon 
. I'm keepin' an eye on 'em, though. If anyone can turn it around, it's Saracens 
still can't believe they didn't execute their gameplan... but you know what? i love how mark mccall is already looking ahead, wanting to make some changes and learn from toulouse's young player development program 
. I want to see some real change, you know? Like, actual coaching decisions and a more nuanced approach to team building.
️. Maybe they'll finally learn their lesson and start playing like a cohesive unit 
Mark McCall's comments made total sense though he's right, they weren't ready for that big game and got frustrated. It's crazy how Toulouse is doing so well, especially with those young players 
I think Saracens could learn from them, like, totally revamp their team and focus on developing their own youth squad 
it's gonna be an intense game, especially with Saracens wanting to prove themselves. McCall's got the right attitude too, "do our talking on the pitch" 
that's so inspiring! Fingers crossed Saracens can bounce back from this loss and get their form back 
. It's a tough lesson to learn, but sometimes you gotta hit rock bottom before you can start climbing back up.
. Can Saracens bounce back from this and become a stronger team? Only time will tell.
. Mark McCall's all talk, tbh. His squad's been struggling for ages and he thinks sharing knowledge with Toulouse is gonna fix everything? Please. It's not that simple. Those French guys have been built from the ground up over years, whereas Saracens are just trying to recover from a few seasons of mediocrity 
. And another thing, what's with this "do our talking on the pitch" nonsense? Like, talk is cheap, mate 
. Give me some actual results and I'll start taking him seriously 
, but now it's like they're expecting to get a free pass just because they have some young talent coming through 
A home draw in the quarterfinals is definitely possible if they can get their act together, especially with Toulouse coming back strong after their second-round defeat. 
. I don't think so...