Gaffney: consistency will come

10:19am Friday 16th May 2008

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In a two part interview, outgoing Saracens director of rugby Alan Gaffney tells Tim Edwards why the club is edging nearer to becoming a formidable force in the Guinness Premiership.

He is not one for making bold predictions but Alan Gaffney is adamant Saracens will conquer their inconsistency demons under the wing of Eddie Jones next season.

Both men will effectively swap posts later this month with Gaffney juggling a very loose consultancy arrangement with his part time coaching post at Leinster as Jones prepares to take charge of his first full season as the Men in Black's director of rugby.

Gaffney is immensely proud of his two season reign - he has taken them to four semi finals in that time - the European Challenge Cup and Premiership play-offs (via their best league finish for seven years) last season and the EDF and Heineken this year. It is a solid platform he believes his good friend and former Wallabies partner-in-crime Jones can build on and propel the club to the next level.

"There are mixed feelings but I've enjoyed the two years here, I've enjoyed every minute of it," said Gaffney. "I feel I'm leaving the club in better shape than it was when I arrived.

"Some people may argue that is not the case given what has happened over the last three weeks but to reach four semi finals is something. We're not far away from taking those giant steps forward. With the addition of a few people and bringing Eddie in it will keep challenging the players and that is what they need.

"We've come a long way in two seasons. We had silverware in 1998 and up until we started two seasons ago we had been in one semi final. Now we've been in four in two seasons.

"Making the semi final of the Heineken Cup is an achievement that should not be underrated, particularly when you look at the quality of the teams in there. People keep on saying we haven't won anything yet and that is fine - we haven't. But to get there is not a bad step, we've just got to go further now."

"This was never a two year project - this was always a four or five year project," he added. "We had to bring people in to fit into the Saracens' culture, a culture we had to develop because, in truth, Saracens never had one.

"It is something we've tried to develop with the belief and loyalty and we still struggle in some of those aspects, but we've still come a long way from where we were and I think that is something that will be continued. It is consistency the club needs and it will happen next season."

Gaffney believes one of the reasons his side have failed at the last hurdle' for the second year running is because of lack of leaders in the squad. The likes of the experienced Richard Hill, Andy Farrell and Chris Jack have either been used sparingly in Hill's case or hit by injuries this season.

Savvy pair Michael Owen and England lock Steve Borthwick will join the club in the summer while South African World Cup winning flanker Wikus van Heerden is understood to have agreed a move to Vicarage Road.

"There is no doubt there is more stability here," said Gaffney. "There will be changes again this year but that was always going to happen. We didn't change that many players last year from the first season. I think maybe six or eight will be the amount going again (this season) plus one or two more with natural attrition.

"There is no doubt we have to strengthen in certain areas of the game and the signings we've made so far will add to Saracens enormously.

"Borthwick and Owen are leaders in their own right and we need that at Saracens as we haven't got an abundance of them. We've tried to develop them and sometimes when things get difficult it is not a natural trait some players have. With these guys it is, it's something they do naturally and I think that is one of the great variations you will see next season.

"There will be more consistency in the way Saracens play because of this leadership factor. Things won't deteriorate like they have this year because there is a harder edge to guys like Borthwick who mark their cards a lot higher. They don't accept second best and neither will Eddie and if you deliver second best you won't be around."

Leaders don't come any bigger than Jones, who helped guide South Africa to World Cup glory last year. Both he and Gaffney's initial mission statement was to transform Sarries into one of the Premiership's elite teams that has a squad big enough to cope with the rigours of both the domestic campaign and European competition - and win them.

"I'd suspect in a couple of years time Saracens are going to be one of those consistent sides at the top who can be thrown in with your Wasps, Sales and Leicesters, sides that are supposed to be in the top four year in, year out," Gaffney commented.

"It is not a case of setting your stall out and saying we want to win the Premiership. Obviously we want to win it but you've got to get the consistency of being there year in, year out and being one of those sides that consistently perform well in the league and in Europe.

"Potentially, becoming an elite team will come in time. I don't think you can get that in three years but having coached with Eddie over a number of years I am sure this will come. That is not putting pressure on anybody, it is just something I suspect will occur."

And as Gaffney prepares to bow out does he have any regrets during his time at Saracens?

"I've got none apart from not finishing this season off better and that we didn't show more consistency," he said. "We've got to work out why that is and I will be part of that process. After the win and loss against Ospreys and Munster the focus went, which is sad but we've got to be harder than that. We've got to mark our card a bit higher."

Next week Gaffney discusses his thoughts on Eddie Jones, his highlights at the club, the players he believes have blossomed, other people's perceptions of the club and his future role with Saracens.