British & Irish Lion Brad Barritt is urging his Saracens teammates to keep a cool head if they are to have any hope of downing French giants Clermont Auvergne.
Barritt will captain Saracens in their European semi-final clash against Clermont in the absence of the injured Alistair Hargreaves.
It is another notch on the belt of the centre who in 2013 featured in clashes against the Brumbies and the Melbourne Rebels as the British & Irish Lions recorded a famous 2013 series victory Down Under.
And as Saracens look to record back-to-back European final appearances, Barritt knows tailoring their aggression will be crucial against their French opposition.
"In terms of psychology both teams know on their day they can be very successful against the other," Barritt said.
"It will come down to which team can rise to the occasion and keep the emotion down to a minimum.
"It's about being able to flick the switch in and out of intensity.
"There are times in a rugby game when you have to go 100 miles an hour but during the dead moments in the game – for a back during a scrum or when a penalty is given – being able to calm those emotions and have a clear train of thought is something I've looked at a lot.
"At Saracens we put a huge emphasis on being able to go in and out of that emotion and tailor that aggression with clear thought and clear communication."
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