Coach Alex Sanderson said on Saturday he wants Saracens to go for the treble this season by winning the Premiership, Heineken Cup and LV=Cup - but history suggests it will be an extremely difficult task.

Sarries currently sit second in the Aviva Premiership behind Harlequins, they await Ulster in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup and they face a trip to Sale Sharks in the last four of the LV.

But to win all three trophies this season, the Men in Black would have to do something that's never been done before.

Since the Heineken Cup's debut year in 1995, a side has won two out of the three competitions in one season five times - but no team has ever won all three in a single campaign.

Leicester came closest in 2006/2007 as they beat Ospreys to triumph in the Anglo-Welsh Cup (now called the LV=Cup for sponsorship reasons) and edged out Gloucester in the play-offs to take home the Premiership crown - but the Tigers fell down in Europe where they lost 25-9 to Wasps in the final at Twickenham.

Bath have reason to feel aggrieved as despite pipping Leicester to win both the Premiership and the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 1995/96, they were denied the chance to add a third trophy to their cabinet as English teams were not entered into the Heineken Cup until the following year.

Leicester arguably did the hard part two years running by winning both the Heineken Cup and the Premiership in 2000/01 and 2001/02 but in both years the Tigers fell down in the Anglo-Welsh Cup where Newcastle and then London Irish took the trophy.

Wasps achieved the same feat in 2003/04 beating Bath in the play-offs to win the domestic crown and then Toulouse to triumph in Europe but couldn't add the Anglo-Welsh Cup to their successes as Newcastle were again victorious.

The closest Saracens themselves have come was when they won the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 1997/98 and finished runner-up by a single point in the Premiership. The Men in Black had to watch Bath triumph in Europe as they hadn't qualified for the competition.

 

Champions since 1995/1996

 

                     Premiership           Heineken Cup          LV=Cup

1995/96        BATH                       TOULOUSE                BATH

1996/97        WASPS                    BRIVE                        LEICESTER

1997/98        NEWCASTLE            BATH                         SARACENS  

1998/99        LEICESTER              ULSTER                     WASPS 

1999/00        LEICESTER              NORTHAMPTON         WASPS

2000/01        LEICESTER              LEICESTER                NEWCASTLE

2001/02        LEICESTER              LEICESTER                LONDON IRISH

2002/03        WASPS                    TOULOUSE                GLOUCESTER

2003/04        WASPS                    WASPS                      NEWCASTLE

2004/05        WASPS                    TOULOUSE                LEEDS 

2005/06        SALE                        MUNSTER                  WASPS

2006/07        LEICESTER              WASPS                      LEICESTER

2007/08        WASPS                     MUNSTER                  OSPREYS

2008/09        LEICESTER              LEINSTER                  CARDIFF 

2009/10        LEICESTER             TOULOUSE                N'HAMPTON

2010/11        SARACENS              LEINSTER                 GLOUCESTER

2011/12        HARLEQUINS           LEINSTER                  LEICESTER