Defeat and divorce for Diprose

13 April 2012

Three years ago, Tony Diprose held the English Cup aloft at Twickenham amid proclamations of a Saracens crusade to conquer the rugby fields of Europe.

The local boy with a conjuror's sleight of hand rare among back row forwards had come through the ranks to lead the glitziest team in the business

With Nigel Wray's financial clout and Francois Pienaar's winning Springbok mentality, there was nothing the so-called Fez Boys could not achieve, or so it seemed. Then, a few months after putting Wasps to the sword in a dazzling final, Diprose and Pienaar fell out. They came to blows during a practice drill, captain and coach, in Pienaar's words, 'at each other's throats'.

The coach, angry at taking an elbow on the lip, apologised to the captain for letting a couple of punches fly but their relationship, strained before that incident, was never the same again.

Not long afterwards, Pienaar had replaced Diprose as captain and their estrangement was always going to end in divorce.

As partings go, few could have been sadder than Diprose's. He was substituted 38 minutes before the end of the 45-17 defeat by Northampton in the Zurich Premiership play-offs, bringing his career at Saracens to an end.

His departure, leaving Kyran Bracken as the sole survivor from the Cup final squad, provoked no words of recrimination but there could be no disguising the hurt.

Diprose never wanted to play for anyone other than Saracens and if it is difficult to picture him in a Harlequins shirt next season, then the player had no choice in the matter.

Sarries's decision not to offer him a contract confirmed the suspicion that he was not wanted.

Diprose, still only 28, said: 'Pienaar is the boss. Maybe I am not the player for him. Whatever way you dress it up, I was sacked as captain.

'I look back on 10 good years but sometimes you have to close one chapter and start another. I'm going to do my

job somewhere else and, hope-fully, play well for Harlequins.'

Others, chiefly Dan Luger, Julian White and Paul Wallace, have still to decide where they will be doing their jobs next season but their cases are rather different.

After losing Danny Grewcock but retaining Richard Hill, Sarries want to re-sign all three with Luger, sharp on his comeback match and available for the Barbarians British tour, expecting an offer commensurate to his new status as a Lion.

Northampton's ruthless subjugation of the Sarries' pack and Matt Dawson' s exploitation of some fragile tackling meant they could afford to concede two early tries and still win by a street.

While the Saints confirm Tom Smith's signing today before marching on to Saturday's semi-final at Leicester with a real chance of returning to Twickenham on May 13, Sarries are left to pick up the pieces.

Wray, whose investment in the club is not far short of £10million, gave Pienaar a vote of confidence which should not be construed as the soccer variety. Smiling, Wray said: 'I've heard it said so often in football that I'm not going to say it!'

With Alan Zondagh returning to South Africa, Pienaar will be fully hands- on next season, more chief coach than chief executive. He said: 'I am hurt and very disappointed but nobody is more determined than me to get it right.'

Sarries' extraordinary series of injuries continued on Saturday with David Flatman suffering a broken bone in his right hand. At least one international has been recovering from an operation in every month of the season.

Australian Tim Horan and France's Thomas Castaignede have yet to appear in the same match. It is a shame that, by the time they do, Diprose will be otherwise employed.

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