PRESS NOTES | Mark McCall and Alex Goode preview Newcastle Falcons

Mark McCall was joined by Alex Goode this week as the pair took questions from the press ahead of Goode’s 400th appearance for the club against Newcastle Falcons this weekend.

When asked about the achievement, Goode admitted he didn’t believe he would get to this fortunate position in his rugby career.

“When I started at Saracens, I was so keen to just get one appearance for this club, to get 400 brings on a feeling that I can’t really describe yet and I probably won’t be able to until I have some time to reflect but it’s so special. I’ve been so fortunate to be surrounded by so many amazing people during my time here, many of which are still at the club and many others are hoping to come on Saturday. This club produces some pretty special individuals who have helped me make the best memories of my life throughout the last 20 years.”

Having started as one of the fresher faces of a rebuilding Saracens side, Goode has since gone on to be one of the most decorated Saracens in the club's history. When asked about the club's journey over his tenure, Goode was quick to reflect on what’s been a rollercoaster of emotions over the last two decades.

“I’m very lucky to be one of the few that saw the darker days of Saracens when they weren’t as successful, whilst I didn’t know that at the time it was a very tough environment to be a part of. When Brendan Venter, Edward Griffiths and latterly Mark McCall came in, we didn’t know if that would signal a positive impact as they came in with some drastic changes, but the improvements to the club ethos and of course the trophy cabinet are there for all to see.”

One question came to Goode about his key to longevity, having played over 400 competitive games for club and country. The fullback smiled and revealed there’s little secret to the length of his career to date.

“I think the love of the game plays a big part, I’m also very competitive and always want to win which drives me for more and more. I’ve always tried to improve and get better and make sure that I stand still, constantly working on my skills which keeps me engaged and stops me from getting found out. That’s probably what’s helped me stay in the game for as long as possible.”

On the eve of the Lions tour, Goode was also asked about the proposition of fellow teammate and Saracens legend Owen Farrell getting a spot on the plane to Australia.

“I’m sure he would love to go on the tour, he’s an unbelievable competitor and would give the group real drive and hunger to win. I haven’t seen any of his games in France so far this season so couldn’t tell you what his form has been like, but I think we all know that when you have someone like Owen in the fold they’re always going to be in the fight which is a special quality you don’t see in many players. I think he’d be great to give on that tour but they also have a lot of world class players, so we’ll have to wait to find out.”

Mark McCall was also asked about Goode and his contributions in North London.

“We’ve been lucky enough over the years to celebrate many milestones. A lot of people have played 100 and 200 games for this club, but in the club’s history there has never been anyone who has played 400 games for Saracens and there probably never will be again so we’re delighted to share this week with Alex.
It’s not just his longevity but the influence and impact he’s made is so significant to the club's success. Saracens owe a lot to him as a person which we can hopefully celebrate this weekend.”

When asked about the man behind the scenes, McCall was quick to praise Goode’s unseen hard work that is key to the success he has come across in his career.

“Everyone gets to see the flair and skill on the pitch and the fun light-hearted person he is off it, but not many see the competitive drive and edge that he has week in week out, he’s got a hunger, desire to win which I think you need to play for as long as he has and as well as he has.

He’s had to show some resilience especially on the international stage, it would have been easy for him to have gone through the motions at club level because he wasn’t getting what he deserved on the international scene which is a testament to him as a person and a player.”

Looking ahead to the weekend, McCall is very aware of the threats the visiting Falcons will pose in North London this Saturday.

“It’s a massive game, what we’ve seen from Newcastle over the last four weeks is that they’re a significantly better team than the one we played and lost against in late November. But it’s a big game for us this weekend too so hopefully we can play like that.

If we want our season to continue to be significant we need to win this weekend and to win this weekend we'll need to play properly. We haven't looked beyond this game because if we don't get the win on Saturday our season effectively finishes, so the players are aware of what we have to do to achieve that and play the best way we can."

McCall also gave a fitness update off the back of the trip to Sale a fortnight ago.

“We didn’t pick up any additional injuries against Sale, but most of the players who were unavailable for that fixture still aren’t ready for this one. Marco Riccioni for example is not quite right at the moment, but apart from that there isn’t any new injuries to comment on.”

The Director of Rugby was also asked about the Lions selection, in particular the captaincy debate which heavily involves Saracens and England skipper Maro Itoje.

“Maro is very much a leader by what he does, he’s playing as good as he’s ever played. If he does get selected as captain you’ll know he’ll do that at the top of his game. I’ve been really impressed with how he’s gone about captaincy here at the club, he is very good at managing other players and using other leaders in the group to help get messages across. He’d be a great captain if he was selected in that role.”