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Edinburgh Rugby went within three points of becoming the first Scottish club to reach the Heineken Cup Final last season but face a huge challenge in the opening round this year. - 11/10/2012 15:01
Edinburgh Rugby went within three points of becoming the first Scottish club to reach the Heineken Cup Final last season but face a huge challenge in the opening round this year.
Saracens have become one of the powerhouses of English rugby and are looking to make their mark in Europe.
Edinburgh strengthened their squad in the summer by signing Wales pair Richie Rees and John Yapp as well as the vast experience of double Amlin Challenge Cup winning hooker Andy Titterrell, who is poised to represent his fourth club in Europe.
Tim Visser leads the try scoring in Pro12 with eight already this season but that has not saved the Scottish club from losing their last three games.
Saracens, semi-finalists in 2008, are in good shape for their first trip to Murrayfield.
Mark McCall's men have suffered just one defeat this season and have one of the form fly-halves in England in Charlie Hodgson following his 28-point haul against London Welsh last week.
Chris Ashton will make his European debut for the club following his move from Northampton Saints.
Saracens are set to move to a new home at Copthall next season but right now the reigning English champions are totally focused on their massive Heineken Cup quarter-final against ASM Clermont Auvergne at Vicarage Road on Sunday (16.30). - 05/04/2012 23:29
Edinburgh were left battered and bruised by their biggest home Heineken Cup defeat as Saracens laid down a marker in Pool 1.
The visitors plundered five tries and had clinched the bonus point with 10 minutes left to play. There were also 25 points from outside-half Charlie Hodgson.
Saracens move on to face Racing Metro, who beat Munster at Stade de France, in Brussels next weekend and whichever team wins there will have their noses in front in the battle for supremacy on the road to a quarter-final slot.
Hodgson only missed one shot at goal from his nine attempts as he fell just one short of Glen Jackson’s European club record of 26 against hapless Italian side Viadana in 2007/08. He also picked up a trademark charge down kick try.
Saracens were the dominant force at the set-pieces and in defence. By contrast, Edinburgh’s line-out fell to pieces and they made a huge number of handling errors.
It certainly didn’t help the home cause that neither outside-half Greig Laidlaw (shoulder) nor try machine Tim Visser (knee) emerged from the dressing room for the second half. But by then Saracens were 16-0 ahead and had crossed for one of their five tries.
England duo Chris Ashton and Owen Farrell, as well as full back candidate Alex Goode, were among the second-half try scorers and then Hodgson picked up his charge-down try.
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