Guinness Premiership Betting: Saracens are a great price to beat Saints

Rugby Union / Ralph Ellis / 13 May 2010 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet View Market

"It's ridiculous that the coach of a professional sports team has to sit amongst season ticket holders of the other side. Can you imagine Sir Alex Ferguson being asked to sit among Chelsea fans and every time he stands up one of them shouts: 'Oi, sit down'. It just wouldn't happen."

Brendan Venter is following in Sir Alex Ferguson's footsteps by fostering a seige mentality amongst his squad. Ralph Ellis believes that could reap rewards as the season reaches its conclusion.

I've always been puzzled by the sad people who choose seats near to the dugout at football grounds just so they can scream abuse at the opposition manager. Talk to anybody who has been a boss and they'll have a tale to tell about clashing with a fan somewhere. I remember Gary Megson recounting how he'd been given a mouthful of foul abuse at Upton Park in the days when the old West Stand was only a yard or two from the pitch, and turned round to find the culprit was about six- years-old and his dad was beaming proudly about it.

In football, they've had to provide a security guard or two, and protection around the benches. Sadly it seems the same problem is now spreading to rugby as well.
Saracens director of rugby Brendan Venter upset Leicester supporters on Saturday for the simple crime of standing up so that he could see the game better. Stewards were called on numerous occasions as enraged fans claimed he was blocking their view. The incidents provided a bit of added spice as Sarries scored what was only a psychological blow by winning 32-23 at Welford Road - they had long ago messed up their chances of finishing top of the regular season pile.

The ill-feeling might well bubble up if North London's "South African club" find themselves facing the Tigers again in the Grand Final at Twickenham on May 29. Saracens are in no mood to back down, with their chief executive Edward Griffiths insisting today: "It's ridiculous that the coach of a professional sports team has to sit amongst season ticket holders of the other side. Can you imagine Sir Alex Ferguson being asked to sit among Chelsea fans and every time he stands up one of them shouts: 'Oi, sit down'. It just wouldn't happen."

The comparison with Fergie is a good one because Venter has brought a bit of the same hard attitude with him from South Africa, and it's one of the things that makes his team value at [6.2] as the play-offs begin this weekend. Betfair's punters make Northampton [1.51] favourites for the semi-final, yet Saracens have beaten them twice this season. And that final day win at Leicester - the week after they'd also beaten Saints - underlined that the competitive edge that had made them unbeaten until Christmas was back after a disastrous spell when they lost successive games to Wasps, Bath and Leeds.

Tigers have been a model of consistency under Richard Cockerill, and will be wanting to help veteran Ben Kay sign off with a flourish as he decides whether to accept offers to play in France or simply hang up his boots. I think [1.42] for them to beat revitalised Bath is a bit too short to be worth backing, but they certainly ought to reach the final.

Then the good news for Venter is he can stand up as much as he wants at Twickenham - the benches are designed so he won't be blocking anybody's view!

Five things you might not know about Ben Kay

1. Born in Liverpool in December 1975, his dad was Lord Justice of Appeal Sir John William Kay - which earned Ben the nickname "M'lud"

2. His hobby is water skiing and jetski - and he's a staunch supporter of the Southport Lifeboat which protected the area where he learned both sports when he was growing up.

3. He met his wife Virginia in Southport too - they have a little girl, Jemima, who was born in 2007.

4. He cracked the South African's line-out code in the 2003 World Cup by learning to count from one to ten in Afrikaans - a crucial factor in a group victory that meant England never had to play the All Blacks.

5. He's a Liverpool football fan - and described Manchester United losing to Barcelona as "one of the best nights of my life"

Tags: Guinness Premiership betting, Leicester, Ralph Ellis, Rugby Betting, Saracens