Cardiff give Farrell's Sarries the blues

On the move: Saracens look set to play Farrell at inside centre
14 April 2012
Saracens 29pts Cardiff 40pts

Andy Farrell endured another painfully brief lesson in his rugby union education which ended with the grudging promise that Saracens will relocate him at England's request.

On an afternoon when Cardiff took a second Premiership scalp in six days, Sarries' revealed their readiness to bow to the clamour for their prize asset to be switched to inside centre.

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After a two-hour meeting with England head coach Andy Robinson, Alan Gaffney, Saracens' director of rugby, said: "He will be given an opportunity to play at No 12 at an appropriate time. Faz has been left out of this. A lot of sweet nothings are being blown in his ear."

Despite describing the discussions with Robinson as "absolutely amicable", Gaffney has clearly found the controversy a source of irritation. "Do we feature in this or is this just about Team England?" he said. "So many people seem to have a say about whether Faz should play 6 or 12 that I begin to think there will be a general election about it.

"Saracens have to be considered in all this. Instead, we are totally forgotten about. I am not going to say to our three No 12s: 'Boys, I've got no time for you for the rest of the year - you're on the scrapheap.'

"What annoys me is that inside centre is one of the most technically difficult positions on the field. Three weeks ago, Andy Robinson and I were on the same wavelength. Now there seems to be some confusion.

"I have my opinion as to what Faz will bring to the game at No 6 and it's something people will never have seen before. I thought the benefits to England and Saracens would have been enormous but whether we have the time to do that, I don't know."

Having decided against introducing him into midfield after the first 20 minutes as a temporary blood replacement for Ben Johnston, Sarries unleashed him at blindside flanker for the last 20, long enough to touch the ball five times - five more times than in his previous outing at Vicarage Road.

Coincidentally, one of the passes aimed at Farrell, from Johnston, presented an interception try for Mosese Luveitasau which the Fijian wing ran in from some 50 yards. Cardiff, home and dry before then, will take their worthy place in the semi-finals of the EDF Energy Cup provided they win their one remaining pool tie, at home to London Irish on the first weekend of December.

Nobody has done more to put them there than Tom Shanklin and yesterday's performance in accounting for two of his team's five tries will surely have guaranteed him a place for Wales against Australia on November 4, his first international since the Grand Slam finale more than 18 months ago.

Given the freedom of Vicarage Road at the start, Cardiff made the most of the hospitality, helping themselves to two tries inside 12 minutes.

Irish hooker Shane Byrne gave them the first helping hand, over-shooting his jumpers for Martyn Williams to steal away from the tail of the line-out. Shanklin's dummy run spread enough panic for his fellow centre, the stampeding Marc Stcherbina, to score from 20 yards.

Sarries followed that by donating a second try which proved too easy for words. The Blues exploited turnover ball with ruthless efficiency, Mike Phillips finding Shanklin unmarked on the right wing to outstrip a lumbering Kris Chesney.

For Shanklin, back where he first made a name for himself as a Saracen, it must all have seemed too good to be true. His former club then gave the clear impression they had given Cardiff enough of a start and that it was high time they did something about it.

Glen Jackson used his hands as much as his right boot to orchestrate the recovery. For a period, the New Zealander's deft passing forced Cardiff into an almost constant retreat and the most delicate touch of all put Tomas de Vedia over in the right corner.

In the face of a repeated onslaught from the heavy artillery led by the Fijian lock Simon Raiwalui, Cardiff gave away enough close-range penalties for Jackson to add four in rapid succession and ease Sarries seven points clear at half-time.

Cardiff's stunning second-half onslaught brought them 25 unanswered points at the rate of one a minute and left no doubt about their superiority, a triumph in the end for Welsh style over English confusion.

No try provided a more glaring example of that than the fourth, initiated deep inside his own half by Cardiff's All Black capture from Canterbury, Ben Blair. By the time the excellent Shanklin finished it off, the ball had been spun through some 15 passes, a demonstration of high-octane rugby to which a gasping

Saracens had no answer.

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