Having lost their opening game in the Champions Cup at home to Clermont Auvergne last weekend things aren’t going to get any easier for the Welsh region as they head to the home of a side that opened the defence of their title with a 57-13 hammering of Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens.
Throughout most of Tipuric’s eight-year Ospreys tenure, the Swansea-based region have been by far Wales’ strongest side. But now the Ospreys find themselves in the unfamiliar predicament of having won just once this season.
“Going on such a long losing streak like we have is something new to me, but I think there’s going to be one game where it’s all going to change,” said Tipuric.
“It hasn’t been easy, there’s no point denying that. We are at our best when people write us off and say how rubbish we all are.
“I wish we knew the answer to put it right. We are only playing for about 65-70 minutes and that’s killing us – we have to switch on for the full 80.
“We gave away two soft tries in the opening 10 minutes against Clermont and that immediately put us under pressure.”
The Saracens are unbeaten in their last 19 games in the Champions Cup having won the title for the past two seasons. They have won their last 13 games at home and the last team to beat them in a home tie was Toulouse in 2013 in a game played at Wembley Stadium.
The Ospreys have failed to win in their last 20 away games in the Champions Cup – 19 defeats and a draw with Benetton – and have to go back to a 62-7 triumph in Viadana in the third round in 2009 for their last success on foreign soil.
“It certainly doesn’t get any easier for us having to play against the best team in Europe and some of the best players in the world,” added the 51-times capped Tipuric.
“Nobody will be expecting us to win, so there won’t be any pressure on us. The performances have been getting better, it’s just a little five or 10 minutes where we switch off and then find it hard to get back into the game.”
