Saracens “get their energy” from winding up the opposition so while Glasgow won’t take a step back they have to keep cool heads, believes Fraser Brown.
The obvious niggle between the two sides in two meetings this season is likely to carry over into the third, tomorrow’s quarter-final of the Heineken Champions’ Cup at Allianz Park, with Dave Rennie this week claiming the twice-winners intentionally start confrontations.
Brown thinks the winding up is part of the game, but he feels it masks the fact that what Saracens do in play is so effectice.
“I wouldn’t say they’re more niggly than other sides,” said the Scotland hooker. “What you’ll see is guys like Maro Itoje who like to give their energy and get their energy from performing like that on the pitch.
“So they celebrate if they get a knock-on or a penalty, and it is very visual. But when you see games for us against the likes of Munster and Ulster, there is always niggle in there – it is good, it shows he passion of both teams, that they are up for it and want to play.
“But part of that for ourselves is how we managed it, so we still manage to keep cool heads and play our own game.”
As for Itoje joining in a celebration for a Glasgow try that was disallowed in the particularly bad-tempered October clash, it was just part of the game, says Brown.
“It happens,” he said. “You are just trying to wind people up on the pitch, and players do it to everyone all the time.
“Maro is such a good player. He’s always to the fore in Sarries games, he’s pivotal for them in attack and defence, and he’s very visual when he celebrates.
“So, it is easy for guys to focus on that, but then you miss out the rest of the good things he does well.”
Denying them the possession and specifically penalties is the crucial element to taking on the English champions, added Brown.
“In their game at the weekend against Harlequins, they struggled to get into in the first half, but then they really put the pressure on, and Harlequins started to give way penalties,” he explained.
“Sarries started to get field possession, and they’ve got a such a strong set-piece and ball-carriers it has an effect.
“If you can deny them the ball then you can try to control where you play the game, but if you give away penalties and set-piece it will allow them to play the game where they want to play it.”
For Glasgow, they know that it will probably take their biggest performance of the season to upset the odds and win at Allianz Park.
“Our forward pack will have to play the best we’ve played all season to win,” said Brown.
“They’ve got a great line-out maul, very good in the air with line-out defence, so we’ll have to be right in top of our game there to make sure we are winning quality ball for us to play off.
“Scrum will be a great battle. Then, around the pitch, the breakdown is always going to be the biggest thing in every game, and nine times out of ten comes down to effective you can be at generating quick ball and how you can slow up opposition ball.
“So we know the challenge of winning down there, and it brings pressure, but it also brings focus.”
