Stringer quick to prove his worth to Saracens

FIFTY-NINE MINUTES gone at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night and Saracens were doing their very best to throw away a game they had completely and utterly dominated.

Ashley Beck had just crossed for his, and the Ospreys’, second try of the night and with Dan Biggar’s successful conversion, the London side’s lead was, somewhat unbelievably given their superiority, cut to 28-23. What to do?

Well if Mark McCall turned to his bench for ideas, he would not have had to search for long. What better possible way to close out a tight game than to introduce a two-times Heineken Cup winner, a man with 90 appearances in the competition to his name, to the fray for the final 20 minutes?

“We were playing a little bit too much in our own half and were turning it over at the breakdown,” says Peter Stringer of the game before his introduction.

“I suppose the pack were tiring a little, so the plan was to get down into their territory because obviously it’s hard for them to score if we’re playing the game in their 22. But those were my instructions going on from the coaches – get the ball into their territory and work from there.”

So, Stringer became a Saracen on Saturday night, and predictably, he delivered precisely what was asked of him. From the base of a ruck inside his own half, with 10 minutes to go and five points still separating the sides, the scrum-half looked up and kicked deep into the Ospreys 22, cleverly keeping the ball in play so that the Welsh side would be tempted to run it out. Sure enough, full-back Richard Fussell attempted exactly that and was swallowed up by the Saracens chasers, and less than 30 seconds later, the home side were awarded the penalty that Owen Farrell converted to seal the game. And all because Stringer had got them down there.

All in all, the victory was a nice way to finish off what has been a hectic week for the 34-year-old since his loan move from Munster was finalised last weekend.

“I only got over to London on Monday night and it’s been something of a whirlwind even since,” he says. “I’ve been trying to remember fellas names, that’s probably the biggest thing, and then there’s all the calls on top of that. I sat down with the coaches when I arrived and went through the game patterns, the plays and everything like that.

“Then after training with the lads every day, I went home and studied everything really hard and tried to hardwire in a few different things.”

And while it’s been a taxing week, the decision to put himself in this new situation was anything but.

“Ultimately it was an easy enough decision,” he says without a moment’s hesitation.

“It was a bit of a no-brainer really in the position I found myself in. When things are going well in your career you think you’re never going to leave the place you are. But as a professional rugby player you want to play the game, that’s your job. I enjoy going out there but don’t particularly enjoy watching matches from the stands.”

Despite being overtaken by Conor Murray and Tomás O’Leary in the Munster number nine picking order, Stringer has never lost faith in his ability to perform at the highest level and that belief has now been validated.

“To get the call from Saracens was huge for me,” he says.

“I suppose you always kind of wonder whether other teams are taking notice of what’s happening. To be honest, I was pretty down about the situation but to get the call from a club like this, when things aren’t going your way, it means a lot.”

It is a reward, too, for the hard work he has put in despite not being first, or even second choice, at his native province.

“Maybe the easy thing would have been to sit back and not do anything about it. But I continued to train hard when I wasn’t playing with Munster and had I found myself in a situation like the one I’m in now at Saracens having not worked so hard, I’d probably be off the pace. So it does pay off.”

In terms of fitness, Stringer feels he can go on for another few years yet, not least because of how the change of scene has made him feel.

“It’s refreshing, it’s exciting and I’m going to do everything I can to make it happen for myself,” he says. At one point in his career, perhaps, 21 minutes towards the end of a Heineken Cup game wouldn’t have been enough for him but now, he realises its worth.

“I’ve learned that you have to cherish every minute you get on the pitch,” he says. You get the feeling that for the next few months, Saracens might cherish him too.