Itoje rediscovers spark to lift Saracens ahead of Leinster showdown

There cannot have been many occasions in recent times when Saracens have started a match as rank outsiders as they will on Sunday against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.

Leinster were the only team to post a 100 per cent record in the Champions Cup this season, while Saracens only just scraped through their pool with three victories. The advantages keep piling up. Leinster can surf the wave of confidence generated by Ireland’s Grand Slam and also had the luxury of resting seven key players who started the 24-15 victory against England at Twickenham for a 32-18 reverse against the Ospreys on Saturday.

Saracens, meanwhile, decided that there should be no rest for the wicked, going fully loaded in their middling victory against Harlequins at the London Stadium. While the benefit of an extra week’s rest seems clear, it does also mean that Saracens will have had more time to reintegrate their international contingent. The last time Leinster started a game with Jonathan Sexton at fly-half was on Jan 14. Asked to assess those contrasting strategies, Mark Mccall, Saracens’ director of rugby, put it bluntly: “We will find out next weekend.”

Lest we forget, Saracens are also back-to-back champions. In their heads, they are underdogs to no one, even if some bookmakers list them at greater than 2-1. At the semi-final stage last year they demolished Munster 26-10 at the Aviva. Even during a seven-game losing run this season, their belief in themselves never wavered.

“It was an interesting time for us,” Alex Lozowski, the fly-half, said. “Sometimes you learn more when you are losing than winning. It was a sticky period for us, but we knew we would come out the other end all right, as long as we stuck to our guns and backed each other up all the time. We are really excited about what is to come.

“It is going to be a belter, two teams desperate to win and desperate for success. When you look at the two teams, there will be internationals across the board. I imagine Get a grip: Maro Itoje (centre) battles in a maul against Harlequins it will have Test-match intensity and these European Cup games are often like Test matches.”

Mccall confirmed No8 Billy Vunipola is almost certain to miss the trip to Dublin, and he continues to sweat over the fitness of George Kruis and Owen Farrell. In the latter’s absence, Lozowski delivered an assured display at fly-half, kicking five of his six shots at goal.

The standout performance was delivered by try-scorer Maro Itoje, who seemed re-energised upon his return to the Saracens fold. Even accounting for the calibre of opposition – Harlequins were fairly ordinary – the lock seemed a player transformed in both his ball carrying and body language outside the England environment.

“He has been full of energy, he always has,” Lozowski said. “He is a phenomenal player and a big voice in the team. We rely on him a lot and he is happy to shoulder that responsibility. He speaks well and leads by example in his actions. It is great to have him back.”

Saracens will need Itoje and all their internationals to be firing on Sunday. Against Harlequins they did the bare minimum, scoring first-half tries through Sean Maitland and Itoje to establish a lead Harlequins never truly threatened.

“Pretty much everything [needs to be better],” Mccall said. “There was enough in our attack today early doors. There was enough in our defence at times. It is obvious that we need to raise our game in all of those areas. But I’m really pleased we got through unscathed and got a bit of confidence in players and getting some rhythm between the internationals and the other guys.”