Saracens back on top of the table with win over Tigers
SARACENS are back on top of the Premiership table after a late second half blitz saw them secure a bonus point win against a Leicester side that led 10-5 at half-time.
However, as the pressure mounted Leicester wilted, conceding three tries in the final quarter, with the last two Saracens touchdowns from Ben Spencer and David Strettle coming in the last four minutes of the match against token Tigers defence.
Leicester may have started the second-half with a statement of intent when Dan Cole rumbled his way to the edge of the home 22, but when Matt Toomua missed a penalty from in front of the posts eight minutes into the half Saracens soon seized the initiative.
After two Alex Lozowski penalties gave them an 11-10 advantage they completed the mood-swing when hooker Tom Woolstencroft drilled over from a line-out drive, and Alex Goode – at fly-half again – converted to make it 18-10.
A Goode penalty with eight minutes remaining started the late points flurry, and with Spencer intercepting a telegraphed Toomua pass, and Strettle the beneficiary of a long pass from Michael Rhodes, it was job done.
Although Tigers took an early lead with a Toomua penalty, Saracens, with Brad Barritt always impressive, were the first to show their teeth when Matt Gallagher fielded a Ben White clearance and sliced clean through the heavy traffic.
By the time the young full back found Nick Isiekwe in the Leicester 22, and his outside pass put Richard Wigglesworth over, the try looked sure to be ruled out with the last two passes clearly– and unnecessarily – pushed forward.
Instead, with referee Tom Foley not trusting the evidence in front of him, or bothering to ask the TMO, the try was awarded, and although Lozowski missed the extras Saracens led 5-3 with 12 minutes played.
The epidemic of forward passes being allowed at the top level by English match officials – who are now copying their Southern Hemisphere counterparts – is becoming a blight on the game. The tripe about which direction the fingers of the passer are pointing should always be ignored when there is a clear sight-line of the ball going forward.
We seem to have gone from a desire to give the benefit of the doubt to the attacking side when there is a flat pass, to rewarding them even when the pass has gone a couple of metres forward. Who will Saracens sign next? Patriots quarterback Tom Brady?
With the rest of the half a stalemate there was justice of sorts when Leicester scored a minute before halftime after a breakout from their own half which saw Kyle Eastmond link with George Worth. The young Tigers full-back did well to delay his pass long enough to suck in enough of the Saracens defence to give Jonah Holmes a clear path down the tramline to score.
With Toomua converting Leicester were five points ahead at the interval, but after the break they had neither the conviction nor the grit of old to prosecute their case. Despite having started strongly they finished limply – inviting Saracens to fill their boots.