Will Biarritz handle 'heavy-duty' Sarries?
Biarritz star Dimitri Yachvili has warned that his side is in for a severe test against a ‘heavy-duty’ Saracens side when they clash with the Premiership champions in a crucial Heineken Cup pool match at Vicarage Road on Sunday.
Saracens are in pole position in Pool Five and they will be looking to make it three from three when they take on the French team this weekend.
Victories over Treviso and the Ospreys – the latter in front of over 41,000 fans at Wembley Stadium – mean Saracens control their own quarterfinal destiny but they will also be well aware of the threat from Biarritz following the French club’s 15-10 victory at Stade Aguilera in Round Two.
Yachvili, just three points short of becoming only the fourth player to score 600 Heineken Cup points, warned that it was far from over in the battle for automatic quarterfinal qualification as pool winner.
“Sunday’s match against Saracens will definitely be a decider because it will determine our future in the Heineken Cup this season,” he said.
“It will be a tough game, facing a Saracens team in top form at the moment and very strong in all competitions, and a massive challenge awaits us, that is for sure.”
Yachvili singled out veteran Irish scrumhalf as a particular threat, but added that the London side had plenty of firepower in other positions as well.
He commented: “We will pay extra care and keep a close eye on Peter Stringer because we know all too well how dangerous he can be.
“He will do a lot of good for Saracens and will need to be watched while they also have world-class players at almost all positions. We will also be wary of players like Owen Farrell, Steve Borthwick, Jacques Burger and John Smit – among many others – as their team is really heavy duty stuff,” added Yachvili.
Biarritz are 3-2 ahead in tournament meetings with Saracens and, with all previous results having gone with home advantage, Biarritz will have to produce a first against them on the road to keep the pool well and truly on the boil.
“To beat them we will have to score fast, be disciplined, strong in defence and up to the challenge,” said Yachvili, who was named – along with club mates Imanol Harinordoquy and Fabien Barcella – in new French coach Philippe Saint-André’s initial Six Nations squad.
The goalkicking halfback admitted that his team was in desperate need of a positive result to gain valuable momentum as they are currently at the wrong end of the Top 14 table.
He said: “We are having a very tough season in the Top 14 so, above all else, we take one game at a time to try to get further out of the dangerzone.
“That said we still have plenty of room to focus on the Heineken Cup because, as so often happens, that competition allows us to freshen things up both physically and mentally.
“It also gives us the opportunity to up our game and our standards, so resuming that tournament now is well timed,” added Yachvili.
