Saracens captain Brad Barritt goes above and beyond in the quest to lead his side
BRAD BARRITT has always been the type of rugby player who could be relied upon to put his body on the line for the cause, but the Saracens captain has gone above and beyond this time in his desperation to lead his side out against Leinster on Easter Sunday.
Fronting up at the Aviva Stadium five days after having a metal plate inserted in his broken left cheekbone is an act of borderline lunacy which underlines Saracens’ collective desperation to land a Champions Cup hat-trick this season.
When the former England centre left the field against Harlequins on Saturday with a sore neck, he was unaware of the damage that had been caused earlier in the game by a stray elbow.
“I only realised it was fractured later that evening when I blew my nose and it inflated,” he said. “Because it is quite close to the nasal cavity air that would normally pass through your mouth fills into a pocket in your cheek so that’s how you determine it’s displaced.
“The marvels of modern science meant that they could operate on it under local anaesthetic. It was much like a routine tooth operation.
“They numbed the side of the mouth, created an incision, used what looks like a shoehorn to pull your cheek back, scraped away to the bone and put in a vertical plate and then drilled it in.
“I was conscious so it was a pretty surreal experience, but I have had a lot more painful things in my day.”
Playing in a Champions Cup quarter-final five days after the procedure sounds like a blatant disregard for his own welfare, but Barritt insists it is no more dangerous for him than any other game.
“I have had a titanium plate put in there which I’m told is now stronger than the other side,” he said. “It is more coping with the pain, but thankfully the surgeon did a great job and it feels good.
“I was very confident going into the full session we have had today so I’m feeling great.”
If Saracens needed an inspiring lead as they attempt to keep the flag of St George flying in Europe, they have it.
The presence of Barritt alongside Owen Farrell in midfield provides a titanium plate to the Saracens defence and with one half of the axis cleared for action, the holders are now waiting on the green light for Farrell.
He missed the Harlequins game with a thigh strain suffered on England duty but returned to the training field yesterday and was in good spirits afterwards.
Alex Lozowski is on standby but Farrell will be given until tomorrow to prove his fitness.
“Owen is a great player in good form at the moment. He had a good Six Nations and was probably one of England’s best players in the competition.
We’re hopeful that he’ll play but if he can’t Alex is a great stand-in,” said Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall.
“I wouldn’t want to play Owen if he’s going to break down and be out for a period of time, but you want your best players to play in these big games and hopefully Owen is going to be available.
“He hasn’t trained with us for ten weeks which is not ideal but it is what it is. We’ll make a decision on Friday. His chances are probably 50-50.”
If Farrell plays, the likelihood is the goalkicking duties will be passed onto Alex Goode.