Sir Sits with Strettle to talk Saints, Saracens and Sevens in the City

Last weekend’s first semi-final came down to a matter of a single try. Northampton fell to Saracens at Franklins Gardens in a highly contested game between two of the very best in English rugby. I caught up with Saracen’s winger David Strettle post-match for a bit of a chat…

We, of course, had to discuss the game. David was knackered but he gave full credit to his forwards. “They fronted up. You’re not going to beat Northampton unless your packs on form and they really were today, and Owen’s (Farrell) kicking was brilliant.” He also thought that Saracens brought the energy the team is known for, something that some of the eagle-eyed viewers would have seen lacking in recent weeks.

Next week’s game against Bath will be a cracker, with two form sides clashing at Twickenham, but David empathises with Northampton. The two final defeats Saracens suffered last season were “very touch to accept. But that’s sport for you. Northampton will be feeling that now. They’ve had an amazing season and for it to end like that, it’s a tough pill to swallow.”

I had to ask about his inclusion to the expanded England squad, and how he felt about it. “It’s always nice to get recognition” he mused, but he conceded that there are a number of good lads who weren’t included.

Rugby usually takes a break during the summer, with teams jetting off on holiday on mass and having some down time. With the World Cup coming, a lot of players don’t have the same length of time off, and the Seven’s circuit is always there to bubble under the surface. For the second year running, “Seven’s and the City” is returning to Allianz Park, the mind child of Matt Stevens and my lovely guest. Whilst some may smile at the idea of a tighthead prop playing sevens, hearing David talk about his experiences playing with England in the 2005/06 series is inspiring.

“The key to a good seven’s competition is a good social competition,” citing Hong Kong and Dubai as decent reference points. Allianz Park has the capacity to host 200 teams, and it’s certainly an ambition to expand the tournament to that size. Netball and CrossFit are also joining the festivities, with over forty netball and 30 CrossFit teams storming Allianz Park, with over 60 Seven’s teams taking to the rugby field. Last year was a single day event, and this time around sees the expansion to a two day extravaganza.
Running the tournament alone would be hard work, what with Matt being across in South Africa, but David credits the staff at Allianz Park who are supporting him all the way. “You can put on the best festival going, but if the sports not run well then it’s always something to whinge about. Its paramount we get that right and then make sure the entertainment is good as well.” Kimberly Wyatt and Seb Fontaine are among the other entertainment, and I’m certainly looking forward to wondering about. It definitely is not something you want to miss, if you’re a rugby junkie needing a fix, a netball star who wants to have a go, or just a family who wants a great camping atmosphere.

And it doesn’t matter what level you want to play at. The Men’s Open is the top level if you want to test your team against the best, but the Party Competition is also an options for those who want to party off the pitch before running it off on it. Registration, tickets and any information that you need for the weekend is at sevensandthecity.com, so there’s no excuse for not coming along! It will be the place to be this summer.

And as they say at Saracens – “It’s all about making memories.”

Have a listen to the whole interview here.