LOZOWSKI IS SHINING SON OF A TOP GUN
BUSINESS as usual for double winners Saracens as they kicked off the title defence – but boss Mark McCall still had the hump.
The European and Premiership champions played like they had their hands tied behind their backs in the first half.
Dropped passes, missed kicks, messy scrums and missed tackles – Sarries did the lot before accelerating to a bonus point win.
But it was a match to savour for new fly-half Alex Lozowski, whose dad Rob was capped by England in 1984. He scored 20 points and a turbo-charged performance from Billy Vunipola put Sarries on the front foot.
Lozowski, Jamie George, another new boy Schalk Burger and Ben Spencer scored second-half tries.
McCall said: “We are always happy to get a win but it was a rusty stuff. Worcester made life hard for us but we were pretty ruthless in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
“We were a bit passive at the breakdown and we needed a bit more urgency.
“Our skill level was not great – we can pass the ball better than that and we made too many errors.” If this was not vintage Saracens, it was still more than enough for Worcester.
In the first half the champions looked like they had hardly met each other before as they fumbled the ball – and Lozowski’s radar was off-beam.
In for the injured Owen Farrell, he missed a couple of early penalties and Worcester were in touch at 6-3 down at the break.
It couldn’t last as Sarries turned on the afterburners and were back to their old ruthless selves.
Hooker George rumbled over for the opener from a driving line out, Lozowski was put away by Burger who then latched onto a brilliant no-eyes pass from Schalk Brits for his first Saracens try.
That was the match and when Ben Spencer beat three defenders that was the bonus point as well.
Man of the match Vunipola said: “It’s tough to get five points. We stuck to our gameplan and it came off in the end.”
Worcester boss Carl Hogg said: “The amount of territory and possession they had was always going to take its toll.
“In the first half the amount of defending and effort we put in was huge.”