Hot Faz pours cold water on the critics
OWEN FARRELL has vowed there is more to come from his Saracens team – even after a recordbreaking Champions Cup victory in Toulon.
Three-time champions Toulon had never been beaten at Stade Felix Mayol in the European Cup, but that run – stretching back six years – bit the dust on Saturday.
Saracens’ first-half display, when they scored three tries and ran up a 25-6 lead, ranks with the best rugby ever played by an English club.
Toulon hit back in the second half, when Sarries’ Maro Itoje and Schalk Burger spent time in the sin-bin, and the Londoners’ rearguard action ranks the match with some of the greatest played in Europe.
The good news for Eddie Jones is that Farrell played for the first time since June – after a back injury – and scored 16 points while Itoje, Mako and Billy Vunipola, Jamie George and George Kruis put in monster shifts.
As well as getting their campaign in Pool 3 off to a flier, Saracens are top of the Premiership – and Farrell insists things can only get better for last season’s Double winners.
The 25-year-old said: “There is always stuff you can get better at. Attacking-wise it was one of our best games – we played both sides of the ruck really well. We stepped up on both sides and were able to go both ways and go to where the spaces were.
“It was always going to bring a reaction and they were always going to come out firing in the second half. We hung on a bit, so we will have to have a look at what we need to do there.”
Saracens firmly buried the myth they are a kick-chase side, their first-half tries from Sean Maitland, Richard Wigglesworth and Chris Wyles stunning the home crowd. And with Farrell orchestrating things from No10, they ran rings around Toulon.
George and the Vunipolas operated as spare midfielders and their handling would not be out of place in a New Zealand backline. No one can accuse them of being one-dimensional.
Farrell added: “People can say what they want, we are not bothered. When we stop doing well, then we will look at it. We do what we do because it works, and we believe in it. You could see from the way we started that the sense of belief is there. The way we dug in at the end, that comes into it. This is a big win and hopefully we crack on from it.”
Toulon scored 14 points while Itoje was in the bin, cutting Sarries’ lead to just five points. So when Burger was carded with eight minutes left, it was all hands to the pump.
Farrell got Saracens into Toulon territory and it was his 78th-minute penalty that sealed the win and, possibly crucially in terms of the pool, denied the French a losing bonus point.
Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall said: “There is probably a reason why they have never been beaten at home in the European Cup before. They have outstanding players and all of their really big players stepped up in the second half.
“For us it was a performance that had everything. In the first half we played beautiful rugby and we showed resilience in the second half when down to 14 twice. We had enough composure and fight to get the job done and it is a hell of a win.”
In attacking terms it was one of our best games
TOULON – Tries: Chilachava, Habana. Cons: Halfpenny (2). Pens: Halfpenny (3). SARACENS – Tries: Maitland, Wigglesworth, Wyles. Cons: Farrell (2). Pens: Farrell (4).