Saracens reign comes to an end after another Irish coup
They were never outfought but were ultimately outclassed, and Saracens’ two-year reign as European champions is over.
Borrowing the blueprint that delivered Ireland a grand slam, Leinster were patient in defence and utterly ruthless in attack. And so for the second time in a matter of a couple of weeks an English title reign has fallen prey to Irish superiority. Leinster’s reward is a return to the Aviva Stadium to face Scarlets in the semi-final.
And there can be no complaints. For all the focus on the benefits of the extra rest that Ireland’s players have enjoyed this season, it was a matter of finesse rather than fitness that proved the difference. Saracens had no match for the imagination of Isa Nacewa and Garry Ringrose in midfield or the untamed ferocity of Tadhg Furlong or Dan Leavy in the pack.
Their tries, scored by Ringrose, Leavy and James Lowe, were all gloriously designed and wonderfully executed. All three bore the fingerprints of Stuart Lancaster, the deposed England head coach restoring his reputation as senior Leinster coach.
By contrast, Saracens controlled the territory and possession for the long periods but could not puncture the Leinster defensive line in the same manner. The key moment, highlighted by both coaches, was in the last play of the first half when James Ryan pinched a close-range Saracens lineout with Leinster ahead 13-12. “That was a big moment in the game, managing to hold them out and getting a turnover at the lineout which gave us that positive momentum going into the second half,” Leo Cullen, the Leinster head coach, said.
Within 18 minutes Leinster were 30-12 to the good. It was only then that Saracens started to find penetration and scored their only try through replacement Blair Cowan with 15 minutes remaining. That could have made for a grandstand finish, but all too frequently linebreaks were followed by knock-ons and their hope faded away.
There is no shame in losing to a Leinster team this rich in class and there were positives in defeat. Despite a sometimes uncomfortable afternoon at the scrum, Mako Vunipola put in an outstanding shift, full back Alex Goode was involved in all of Saracens’ best attacks while Jackson Wray, one of the few uncapped players on the pitch, looked every bit an international player in waiting. But for this year the English challenge in Europe’s premiere competition is at an end and the Saracens dynasty at an end.
“It is such a difficult competition,” said Mark Mccall, Saracens’ director of rugby. “It is hard enough to get out of your pool, and for us to win it two years and go unbeaten for something like 20 games. It is something to be proud of but you want to forget about the past and move on to the present. It has been a mixed campaign for us in the pool stage. We had a lot to contend with injury-wise. No excuses today, we were beaten by the better side.”
Leinster’s opening try was a peach, even if there was a crucial Saracens error involved. A hesitant Liam Williams slipped off Lowe, succeeding only in dislodging one of his fluorescent orange boots. Leinster were away, Lowe feeding Nacewa, who found Ringrose on his inside who strolled over unopposed. Johnny Sexton converted.
So often this season, Leinster have capitalised upon an early strike to put the game to bed. However, Saracens kept the game on their terms, slow and steady rather than fast and loose. Yet their visits to the Leinster 22 yielded only penalties – three of which were converted by Owen Farrell – rather than the tries they craved.
Maro Itoje was certainly making his presence felt, depositing Devin Toner on to his back side and then catching Sexton, marginally late. This, of course, drew howls of protest from the majority inside the Aviva Stadium who view the Ireland fly-half as a protected species. They had slightly more legitimacy to their grievances when Sexton was body-checked by Richard Wigglesworth, an offence that drew a penalty but no yellow card.
Sexton kept his composure to kick a pair of penalties, but his cool eventually deserted him as he petulantly kicked the ball away before the restart, which allowed Marcelo Bosch to kick a penalty from the halfway line. Within 10 minutes of the restart, Leinster pulled out of sight. Sexton knocked over a longrange penalty before Ringrose produced a magnificent touchfinder. Saracens cleared their lines but not far enough. Driving through the middle, Leavy spotted some space that he exploited with a one-two with Ryan to go under the posts.
Just before the hour mark, Leinster effectively put the game to bed. Sensing space on the left, Rob Kearney and Sexton made the initial thrusts and Lowe was driven over. Cowan’s try, from a driven lineout, ensured respectability but there was no doubt as to Leinster’s overall superiority.