Friday 7 November 2014 23:05, UK
Saracens coach Joe Shaw praised Ben Spencer after the scrum-half kicked the Aviva Premiership club to victory in the LV= Cup fixture against the Ospreys.
Spencer booted seven penalties as the visitors came out on top 21-9 at the Gnoll, though Shaw was quick to point out there was more to the 22-year-old’s game than just his kicking off the tee.
"We need to give a special mention to Ben Spencer. His kicking was red hot," said Shaw.
Not many teams come down to the Gnoll and get a result. We know what a difficult place it is and we came down here with a young team with a lot of lads who are from our academy.
"He's a good a kicker as I have ever seen. He is comfortable with both feet and he's an incredible goal kicker. But he has other things to his game - he is incredibly quick. He has got an all-round game.
"He's serving his apprenticeship at the moment but he's knocking on the door all the time. Tonight was another step in the right direction for him."
Spencer was one of a number of young players in the team, a fact Shaw was keen to point out.
"We were ecstatic about the result," he said. "Not many teams come down to the Gnoll and get a result. We know what a difficult place it is and we came down here with a young team with a lot of lads who are from our academy.
"And coupled with a few senior guys they put in a heck of a shift. We were deserved winners.
"The boys really stuck to the plan."
In contrast Ospreys coach Steve Tandy was disappointed by his team's display; all nine points they mustered came from the boot of outside-half Sam Davies.
"Saracens did the simple things much better than we did. We did try to play but ultimately they played in the right areas," he said.
"They kept the scoreboard ticking but ultimately I didn't think the scoreline reflected the whole game.
"But I think there were some good individual performances and the work rate was good throughout. But it's disappointing for these young players to lose in an Ospreys shirt. It's a learning experience and hopefully they will learn from some of the errors."
