George excited by European prospects
12/17/2024 08:32 AM
Jamie George already has three European titles to his name in a glittering career, and after Sarries left Paris with a victory on Sunday he stressed the importance of ensuring a smooth progression towards a home knockout fixture at StoneX Stadium.
The Men in Black are in a strong position after beating the Vodacom Bulls and Stade Francais so far, with crucial fixtures against Munster and Castres to come in January.
"Champions Cup games at StoneX are always special; that final game against Castres could decide the outcome of our group standing, so having that home support will be crucial heading into the fixture." Said the England captain.
He added: "I love this competition. It sends you to the most difficult environments to win rugby games, and you learn so much from that. Going to tough places where no one gives you a chance and coming away with a victory. They're the ones you remember.
We're in a competition we want to win – the biggest European competition, plus some very good South African teams. If you are successful in that, it's probably even more significant than it was before."
Saracens are one of seven sides still unbeaten in the pool stages, including fellow Pool 3 occupants Northampton Saints. George understands the importance of winning group games to avoid facing cup favourites early in the knockouts.
"We learnt that. We played La Rochelle two years ago in the last 16 and Bordeaux last year. They're tough places to go. We learn from that, get on with it, and do the best we can. The big thing for us is we love playing at home. The club is ambitious and wants to do great things at the StoneX. To bring the knockout stages of Europe there is definitely on our minds.
We've got a couple of big games in January to look forward to and are back into the Prem now with Northampton, Bath, and Bristol. They're definitely top-four contenders, so it's good to flick back into that off the back of the momentum we've gained over the past two weeks."
Looking ahead, Saracens travel to Limerick in January before facing Castres at the StoneX Stadium in the final pool stage match-up. With a home round-of-16 draw potentially on the line, the hooker is calling for fans to get behind the team for a huge European occasion.
