Ospreys boss Toby Booth has hailed Saracens as the best team in England “by some distance” ahead of their Champions Cup round-of-16 clash on Sunday.
The two sides will join Toulouse and Bulls in rounding out the weekend of fixtures in the competition, as Ospreys look to spring a shock at StoneX Stadium.
This is the first time in 12 years that the Welsh region has featured in a top flight European knockout match and Booth is aware of the task ahead of them.
Praise for Saracens ahead of clash
Indeed, their lack of business end rugby is in contrast to three-time European champions Saracens, who are one of the favourites to win the Champions Cup.
“We are playing against currently the best team in the Premiership by some distance,” said Ospreys boss Booth.
“I have come from that world, I know how tough it is, and you are not going to be top of that pile without a considerable amount of resources, effort and quality of players.
“They don’t have many weaknesses, and we know it is a very difficult challenge. They are very efficient, and if they get their tails up they can be very difficult.
“They are used to winning, they are used to being in these fixtures, and the biggest thing to get past first of all is the mindset of what they’ve got.
“They are very competitive, they will be in your face, very aggressive, and you have got to deal with that pressure.”
Booth’s direct opponent this Sunday is Mark McCall, who has been an integral cog in the Saracens machine for over a decade, with Booth an admirer of the boss.
“He is Mr Saracens. The cornerstone, the person who has set the tone,” he added.
“He has brought his own people through, he has promoted from within. The Saracens entity is a very impressive one, and he is the person that sits at the centre of it.
“You hear their players on various podcasts and things, and how they conduct themselves.
“Even in that Championship season (after Saracens were relegated for salary cap breaches), a lot of the big players stayed around, which tells you a lot, and the ones that went on loan all went back, and that tells you a lot as well.
“They believe in what they are doing, they are very committed to what Saracens stand for. That is the sign of a really good culture, which is led by the man at the top.”
No Jac Morgan for underdog Ospreys
Ospreys are clearly embracing the underdog tag, however, and after defeating Montpellier and Leicester Tigers in the pool stages, they are backing themselves.
“Adversity and the underdog tag can bring a lot of enjoyment. We’ve earnt some respect,” Booth added as they go into the game without the injured Jac Morgan.
“I think it is 12 years since we have been in this situation. It is very hard to qualify for the competition, and we said we would enjoy it.
“We are enjoying the journey, and we will embrace it with both hands.”
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