Saracens aim for top four in McCall’s final home match
The Story
Mark McCall, Saracens’ director of rugby, is coaching his final home match on Saturday against Harlequins, with a win needed to move into fourth place ahead of Exeter. McCall is in his 15th season leading the club, having accumulated six English titles and three European trophies. According to the single-source report from The Guardian, his tenure is coming to a close.
Key Facts
- A win against Harlequins on Saturday would move Saracens ahead of Exeter into fourth place with one round to play.
- Saracens are 20-point favourites to beat Harlequins; Leicester are 11-point favourites to beat Exeter.
- The only other director of rugby with comparable longevity in English rugby is Exeter’s Rob Baxter, though Baxter stepped away from first-team duties for three years from 2022.
- McCall has accumulated six English titles and three European trophies during his 15-year stint.
- McCall was brought to Saracens by Brendan Venter in 2009 as a first-team coach; Venter will return to take control of the first team next season.
- McCall made three changes from the side that beat Gloucester: Eroni Mawi, Hugh Tizard, and Tobias Elliott start.
- Noah Caluori needs two tries from the last two rounds to equal Sam Simmonds’ record of 20 tries.
- Harlequins are one point ahead of Gloucester for the last Champions Cup qualifying spot; they make one change: Sean Kerr replaces the injured Luke Northmore.
- The match is a sellout.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
No open questions identified in the source article.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Mark McCall, Saracens director of rugby
- Rob Baxter, Exeter director of rugby (stepped away from first team for three years from 2022)
- Brendan Venter, former teammate and former Saracens technical director, to return as first-team head coach next season
- Eroni Mawi, Hugh Tizard, Tobias Elliott – Saracens players brought into the starting side
- Noah Caluori, Saracens player seeking to tie try record
- Sam Simmonds, Exeter player who holds record of 20 tries in a season
- Sean Kerr, Harlequins player replacing the injured Luke Northmore
Sources: The Guardian
