RUCK CLEAROUT
Owen Farrell orchestrates most of what Saracens do. The focus of this phase shifts from play off the nine to a pass off ten – Farrell. Vincent Koch, the prop, takes the timing of his run off Farrell’s run and not Wigglesworth’s pass. Crucially, he hits the ball at speed and the buffer of the pass from nine to ten before getting to him buys him enough time to pick a running line that sees him cross the gain-line with ease. Again, the speed and quality of the possession come from this carry and also the effectiveness of the ruck clearout – in this case, executed by Jamie George, Kruis and centre Brad Barritt. The first two carries in the sequence have generated such positive gain-line and speed of ball that if this ruck is quick, Farrell is likely to have a mismatch in front of him. Farrell needs no second invitation. In motion and squaring up to run straight, he’s able to attack the line. He has support from Alex Lozowski on his inside and Nick Isiekwe on his outside. By showing the ball in two hands, Farrell is asking huge questions of the defender, who lacks support either side of him and who is behind the race. Farrell accelerates to cut through the defensive line. Farrell knows he could leave his support players behind after his break, so he slows on confronting the last defender to allow them to get into position to receive a pass. Isiekwe works hard to be an option but in Lozowski, Farrell has a pacy team-mate who can get to the line. A perfectly weighted inside pass sees Lozowski in space with enough gas to run in a classic Saracens try.