WOOLY BULLY! Tom’s double tames Tigers
Saracens
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ADAM HATHAWAY at the StoneX Stadium
SARACENS boss Mark McCall was back in the day job to see his side topple leaders Leicester thanks to a double from Tom Woolstencroft.
McCall had a month off for health reasons but returned to the north London hotseat to see his Sarries put the Tigers back in their box.
This was only the second time this season that Leicester have lost and conceded a try bonus point.
There were standout Sarries performances from centre Alex Lozowski, who is on the fringes of the England squad, and Elliot Daly, who will be recalled by Eddie Jones today.
But it was a triumph for the Saracens defence, who repelled the George Ford-led Tigers to move back into second spot.
Sarries had conceded an early score to lock Eli Snyman and had scrum-half Aled Davies in the bin in the second half as the visitors ramped it up.
McCall reflected: “There was the odd moment where it felt like we could have packed up.
“The way we fought is something to be proud of and it’s something we can move forward with.”
The one lowpoint for McCall was seeing prop Mako Vunipola taken off with a leg injury after being cleared out at a ruck.
McCall revealed: “It doesn’t look great. It’s such a shame, because he’s been playing wonderful rugby.”
It was a case of the master beating his apprentice as McCall got one over his former player, Steve Borthwick.
Tigers boss Borthwick said: “We have been here 18 months – Saracens have been together a decade.
“We saw what a good team they are and quite rightly they have been at the top of European rugby for years.
“They have run that system of defence for a lot of years and it is very well drilled. We are still at a young stage but we will take a lot from the game.
“Saracens are a quality team – the trophy cabinet shows that.”
Home hooker Woolstencroft (above) scored twice to make light of Jamie George’s absence with England, his second coming late on to snuff out any lingering Tigers’ hopes.
But Leicester went toe-to-toe with the five-times champions, with hooker Nic Dolly and flanker Ollie Chessum crossing for scores – Chessum’s ensuring they left London with a losing bonus point.