Strettle scores late double to see off Northampton
THESE sides met four times last campaign with Saracens handing-out a half-century beating to the Saints on each occasion.
This time Northampton could hold their heads high in a defeat in which their England captain Dylan Hartley made his first start of the season, and bagged his second Premiership try in two games after tucking in at the back of a maul in the 55th minute.
When a try by his fellow front rower, Ben Franks, soon afterwards was followed by a Dan Biggar penalty it meant Northampton went into the last ten minutes nursing a 27-26 lead, but it was not enough to derail the champions.
Saracens made light of the retaliation by Richard Wigglesworth on Jamie Gibson’s late charge which cost them the penalty. They also had the composure to shunt the sin-binnings of England duo Billy Vunipola and Jamie George into the sidings by going into overdrive in the closing minutes to score two tries by 35-year-old returnee wing David Strettle.
The evergreen Strettle sliced through in both instances thanks to incursions by Liam Williams, but it was the Saracens pack which provided the bedrock for this victory despite conceding the two yellow cards for persistent maul collapse – with Vunipola’s 53rd minute dismissal, after a seventh consecutive maul penalty, leading directly to Hartley’s touchdown.
Saracens eventually triumphed, winning the try-count five to three, because the Northampton defence could not cope with the power plays mounted by a heavy-duty pack in which locks Will Skelton and Maro Itoje were outstanding.
This was highlighted when they put in the groundwork for Ben Spencer’s sniping try early in the second-half, which, with the scrum-half converting and adding a penalty, gave Saracens a 20-10 lead.
Northampton put down a marker in the opening quarter. The accuracy of Hartley’s throwing to David Ribbans saw the Saints lineout drive pile the pressure on Saracens, and, after a deliberate maul collapse, his England hooking rival, George, was sin-binned.
Northampton went back on the offensive and from a scrum on the edge of the Saracens 22 Cobus Reinach’s pass found Piers Francis coming at full tilt. The centre’s diagonal cutback saw him wrong-foot two defenders before bursting through to score.
When Biggar followed his conversion with a penalty after a Billy Vunipola ruck infringement Northampton led 10-0, and after a Saracens attack broke down and the Saints fly-half kicked deep into the visitors half they looked ready to strike.
However, Northampton did not take into account the Houdini factor that Goode brings, and he swept-up brilliantly before setting up a ruck despite the attentions of four Saints chasers.
Saints also left the door wide open by having no sweeper of their own, and when Spencer saw there was no-one at home he slammed the ball to within a metre of the try-line for Lewington to win the chase.
Although Saracens trailed 10-5 after Spencer missed the touchline extras they struck again after lineout dents by Skelton and Barritt led to Goode and Williams combining to put Lewington in for his second, making it 10-10 at the interval.
After the break the power surge from the Saracens pack, and the Peter Pan finishing of Strettle settled it.