The drive from Reading to Watford is not far, but it would have been long enough last night for the Saracens head coach Wayne Shelford to reflect on a couple of old sayings: "don't change a winning formula", and "avoid change for change's sake".
The former All-Black made 10 changes to his side, and his team had a disjointed appearance as they slumped to a defeat in which the margin could have hit 40 points.
Shelford, however, stuck by his decision to recraft the side that had won two matches out of two. "I have complete faith in the selection. I believe the players I put in are as good as those on the field. I believe that totally."
If one change, the late loss of David Flatman at prop due to a shoulder injury, was forced upon him and had a lamentable effect on the Saracens scrum, questions should be asked about Shelford's decision to rest two second-rows, Stuart Hooper and Craig Yandell, who had lost one lineout between them in those two games.
"We looked at the first two games, they'd lost one line-out, so we targetted their catchers, and cut off the water," explained Conor O'Shea, the Irish director of rugby.
The result was a complete reversal of form: Saracens had begun by winning two out of two, Irish by losing two out of two, but you would not have known it. Saracens were a hesitant mix of set-piece softness and aberrant handling while Irish recycled the ball at lightning speed. They lacked the crispness of their best moments last season, but created so many chances that when the ball finally stuck in a few hands they were unstoppable.
The match turned on a turnover in first-half injury time. Irish had gone ahead in the 23rd minute, when Barry Everitt followed his 19th- minute penalty with a try which he converted to give Irish the lead by 10 points to Little's early penalty, and an intense spell of Irish pressure followed, with the men in green camped in the Saracens' half.
With four minutes of time added on, Saracens regained possession and drove upfield, but lost possession in the Irish 22. The ball was delivered to Paul Sackey, who kicked over Kevin Sorrell, gathered the ball, and scored.
"They could have scored from the maul, it could have been 10 all, and we'd have been asking ourselves serious questions at half-time," admitted O'Shea.
Instead, what followed could have been a rout had the Irish finishing been slicker. The Exiles' captain Ryan Strudwick put the match beyond the visitors 10 minutes after the break, while Kieron Dawson ran half the length of the pitch with his opposite number Richard Hill in hot pursuit to secure the bonus point in injury-time.
Saracens pulled a try seven minutes into added time when Sorrell was bundled over but it was little comfort, for a match in which Shelford admitted his side were "shell-shocked". All the talk at Vicarage Road this season has been of Shelford's 6.30am training sessions, and army bootcamps, but Shelford was not reaching for the big stick yesterday. "The guys haven't had a drink for a few weeks. I've been going to meet them at the pub every Sunday night, and have been disappointed that they haven't been there. We'll go and talk about it over a few beers. A lot of good things happen over a few pints."
London Irish: Horak; Sackey, Bishop, Appleford, Rossouw; Everitt (Mapletoft, 80), Edwards (Barret, 73); Hatley (Worsley, 47), Kirke (Flavin, 77), Hardwick (Durant, 61), Strudwick (capt), Casey (Burke, 80), Danaher, Dawson, Sheasby (Gustard, 61).
Tries: Everitt, Sackey, Strudwick, Dawson. Cons: Everitt 3. Pens: Everitt 2.
Sin-bin: Horak, 77.
Saracens: Winnan (Castaignède, 65); Haughton (Goode, 52), Sorrell, Johnston, Shanklin; Little, Bracken (capt); Ross, Cairns, Masters, Benazzi (Croall, 61), Roche (Yandell, 53), Chesney, Hill, Russell.
Tries: Sorrell. Con: Goode. Pen: Little.
Referee: C White (London).
Attendance: 7,177
