Saracens CEO Edward Griffiths avoids ruling out a return to Vicarage Road for Heineken Cup quarter-final clash

3:01pm Monday 21st January 2013 in Sport By Tom Allnutt

Picture: Action Images Picture: Action Images

Saracens could yet make another return to Vicarage Road as the club seek a venue for their Heineken Cup home quarter-final clash against Ulster in April.

The Men in Black played their last scheduled match at the football ground on Sunday ahead of the club's much-anticipated move to the new Allianz Park stadium in Barnet.

Sarries beat Edinburgh 40-7 to ensure progression to the knockout stages and set up a home tie in the last eight.

Heineken Cup rules however state that a team must have at least a 15,000 capacity venue to host a quarter-final match - 5,000 more than can currently be seated at Allianz Park.

Sarries CEO Edward Griffiths said: "We are looking at a whole range of options. We have planned but now some of those plans have got to take shape."

When asked whether Vicarage Road was one of those options Griffiths said: "The options include every stadium in the world. We're just looking at everything available." 

Saracens have played at a number of locations this season and are more likely to revisit the likes of Wembley, Twickenham or Stadium MK for the clash.

But Griffiths joked it wouldn't be the first time the club had booked an unexpected reunion with Watford.

He said: "All I'll say is that we played our last game at Vicarage Road but we have said that before - this is our third last game at Vicarage Road."

The match against Ulster will take place on the weekend of April 6.

Saracens host their first game at Allianz Park on Sunday against Cardiff Blues in the LV=Cup.

Comments(12)

Watfordengineer says...
3:09pm Mon 21 Jan 13

Why did they buy a stadium that doesn't suit the 15000 minimum for a major european game!?

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AngelHornet says...
3:28pm Mon 21 Jan 13

I can only imagine that they intend to use Twickenham or Wembley for those types of matches

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DannyMan says...
3:35pm Mon 21 Jan 13

Simples: the place needs to be filled week-in, week-out. It's only the third time in history Sarries have reached the knockout stages of this competition. There's no point in building a stadium to be half-empty most weeks just for a once-in-a-blue-moon cup game. Might as well have stayed rattling around in VR.
But Red Renault and Growser are going to go ballistic on here when they learn that Sarries are talking to Barnet Council about a one-off increase to 15,000 for this one game...

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Boosey says...
3:42pm Mon 21 Jan 13

More than welcome, at a vastly over priced fee!

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Mohandas says...
4:36pm Mon 21 Jan 13

Sounds like a win, win, win for everyone - local supporters, helps WFC, and most of all Sarries if it comes off.

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Ronny oh Ronny Ronny says...
7:31pm Mon 21 Jan 13

Farcical! However it was always likely to happen as when that last contract was signed for the number of games, there was a clause that if they used our stadium again it would be a much higher figure that they needed to pay. Will go someway to fill the void for the last god knows how many years where they got away with paying a pittance!

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the sniper says...
10:14am Tue 22 Jan 13

Mohandas wrote:
Sounds like a win, win, win for everyone - local supporters, helps WFC, and most of all Sarries if it comes off.
And how does it help WFC? It just damages the playing surface ( Sarries fans will disagree) but now we have got rid of the Sarries the football club should not allow a return and as for the money do we need it now?

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DannyMan says...
2:03pm Tue 22 Jan 13

I guess it's true that at a wendyball match the overweight thugs are to be found in the stands (although not the east stand at VR LOL!). Nothing remotely middle-class about them though.

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Back from Hammerau says...
8:52am Wed 23 Jan 13

the sniper wrote:
Mohandas wrote: Sounds like a win, win, win for everyone - local supporters, helps WFC, and most of all Sarries if it comes off.
And how does it help WFC? It just damages the playing surface ( Sarries fans will disagree) but now we have got rid of the Sarries the football club should not allow a return and as for the money do we need it now?
Now that the pitch has been replaced, it won't be damaged by an occasional game of rugby.
The problem is that the previous pitch was still being used long past it's "best before" date because the money that should have been used to replace it had been spent buying the likes of Nathan Ellington.
We may have wealthy owners, but that doesn't mean they don't want to be continually subsidising losses. And getting rent from Saracens for occasional games won't harm the balance sheet.

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redrenault says...
1:27pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Dannyman .. never one to disappoint But I wont be drawn. The council have approved 10k so lets see what happens. There is an initial 5000 at Copthal this weekend following a 500 try out last weekend (School Rugby). Judging by the quality of the stewards on site it should be fun to see if they are able to manage the larger crowds. The area is still a building site. It would not surprise me if suddenly the existing stand needs to be replaced and a new larger one built. But EG would never have orchestrated such a move eh ! Chat pages seem to show that there are already issues and parking spaces are filling up. Judging from the comments I don't think your fans like the public transport solutions. game on ....

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DannyMan says...
8:53am Thu 24 Jan 13

Ha ha ha, you look pretty thoroughly "drawn" to me!

I for one LOVE the public transport solutions. Mill Hill Broadway Station for me, and then a walk or the shuttle bus. Keep an eye out for me, I'll be wearing black.

And it's 3,500 this Sunday, not 5,000.

How would you know about the quality of stewards? How many were at the school match? Very few, I'd guess.

Of course the parking spaces are filling up. Saracens made provision for LOADS of parking, and then Boris' mob forced them to remove most of it. Well there's nothing to stop all those schools offering match-day parking off their own bat, as schools in Watford have been doing for years. Doesn't have to be official Saracens parking - except it'll be less well organised without Saracens marshalling people to the car park most appropriate for them.

As for "game on", er nope, the game is over...and you lost. We're on to the next game now.

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redrenault says...
8:30am Fri 25 Jan 13

Easy tiger ..the local residents group is still very active behind the scenes .. yes even now ! making sure that things run correctly and as agreed within the council guidelines and permissions... So be well behaved and there won't be any issues. Too munch traffic chaos or accidents and more people will have to rely on public transport .. simple. enjoy the game and your beer & burger. YO never know might even meet you at the bar !

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