Saracens’ Alex Goode: ‘I’ll be here as long as they’ll have me’

It would be no great surprise if the sense of adventure Alex Goode has always displayed on the field gave rise to some wanderlust off it. Out of the England picture and having won all there is to win with Saracens, at the age of 29 he would be forgiven for seeking to broaden his horizons – not least after the arrival of the British & Irish Lions’ first-choice full-back for competition over the summer.

Not a bit of it. It is 11 years since Goode joined the club’s academy, making him the longest serving member of the first-team squad, but he has no intention of following his close friend Chris Ashton across the Channel any time soon. Indeed, it is due to the very fact that he no longer features in Eddie Jones’s England plans that Goode is determined to add further silverware to Saracens’ bulging trophy cabinet.

“I see it in a pretty simplistic way. It’s the only club I’ve ever been at, I’m looked after incredibly well, my family is looked after well,” he said. “The coaches know me well, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing … we’ve got a great group of players and we can be successful for many more years and I’d love to be part of that. I’ll be here as long as they’ll have me.

“It was a great move for Chris, he did it for his reasons and fair play to him. His family is very happy in that sense. But it’s not for everyone and for me, and maybe it’s because of the disappointment with England, it means more to win with this club and come away making a success of my career. It makes me want to stay as long as possible.”

It has often been said that the greatest danger to Saracens’ continental dominance – after last weekend’s 57-13 win at Northampton they are unbeaten in their last 19 European matches – will be an exodus of their English core after the 2019 World Cup. The flurry of recent contract extensions would appear to fly in the face of that however but Goode believes Saracens offer more than financial incentives.

“For different people it’s different motivations,” he added. “I can only speak for myself. We’ve always tried to pride ourselves on being more than a monetary thing, whether that’s things away from rugby or looking after families, we make it a happy environment so people don’t want to leave the club. We could in theory lose players who can earn a little bit more money here or there but we keep players because it’s a happy environment.

“We’re a club that doesn’t want to sit still. The coaches go to the NRL, NFL, other rugby clubs around the world just to pick up little bits here and there and that filters down. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it but you have to keep moving forward. If you sit still people will overtake you.”

Only Toulon, at the height of their powers, have managed three European titles in a row but Saracens, back-to-back champions, are already the team to beat this season. The Ospreys are the visitors to Allianz Park on Saturday in a match that features no fewer than eight of the British & Irish Lions who toured New Zealand over the summer. Liam Williams, who scored two tries against Northampton, is among them, but how does he measure up to Ashton?

“The poor bloke got stuck with me off-season on our trip away,” said Goode. “He’s been a brilliant addition to the squad – much more likeable than Ashy! It’s never easy coming to a new team where someone had been so prolific beforehand but I thought he was outstanding at the weekend.

“They are very different types of players. You get many different types of wings in this day and age. The advantage for him is he has played full-back, he has that understanding. He’s a Lions full-back and a Test winger but we shouldn’t dismiss Chris’s scoring record. I’m very lucky to play with both of them.” The feeling is undoubtedly mutual.