GLUED-UP CHIEFS STICK TO GUNS
OWEN FARRELL ripped up the record books as Saracens made it to a fourth Premiership final in five years – but his boss still had the hump with his side’s powder-puff defending.
Sarries booked a showdown with Exeter in next Saturday’s Twickenham finale after this bonkers game saw a record 11 tries and a record combined points total, thanks largely to a crazy second half that produced 62.
Farrell booted five penalties and six conversions, the most ever in a play-off match, to put Sarries into the final after they had threatened to let Wasps back in the game.
Saracens led 30-5 after 42 minutes but Wasps fought back to 36-26 before Farrell helped pull Saracens clear and book a date at HQ but boss Mark Mccall will be drilling his side ahead of Twickers.
Mccall said: “Owen did everything well.
“He place-kicked well, he ran our attack and he defended pretty well – he made some good tackles. But we know what we are going to be working on in training next week, that’s for sure.
“The only pleasing thing about what happened was that we showed some composure and continued to attack the game a little bit. We went for it.”
Mccall (above) added: “We’ve been involved in an extraordinary game. We switched off and let them back into it but we played some brilliant rugby today, and when it became 36-26 we kept playing and didn’t panic. “Our attack was good all day, but obviously we have got a huge amount to do on our defence.” There was more bad news for Wasps and England as 21-year-old flanker Jack Willis was taken off with a knee injury that could rule him out of the tour to South Africa. But Saracen’s Billy Vunipola got through 40 minutes after his latest injury and Nathan Hughes managed 65 after knee trouble. ROB BAXTER praised a “glued together” performance after Exeter reached a third successive Premiership final.
Rugby director Baxter’s title holders will face Saracens at Twickenham on Saturday after this thrashing of Newcastle.
The Chiefs built a 16-point interval advantage Willis hurt his right knee in a challenge from Farrell and was helped off the pitch with his international dreams hanging by a thread.
Wasps boss Dai Young said: “It’s a hyperextension of his knee which is never great. He is in a brace and on crutches. They think that it is serious enough to have a scan straight away.
“I’d be surprised if it is anything that is going to be right in a week or two.”
When Sarries prop Vincent Koch made it 14-0 it looked like a hammering was on the cards, but Wasps, inspired by Danny Cipriani, kept playing like the Harlem Globetrotters.
Jake Cooper-woolley, Willie le Roux, Thomas Young and Christian Wade all scored but impressive Maro Itoje got Saracens’ fifth try and Ben Spencer wrapped it up.
Tries: Lozowski, Koch, Wyles, Figallo, Itoje, Spencer. Pens: Farrell 5. Con: Farrell 6.
Tries: Le Roux 2, Cooperwoolley, Young, Wade. Con: Gopperth 2, Cipriani 2. through scrum-half Nic White’s try, plus three penalties and a conversion from Joe Simmonds.
Falcons, having to stage a prolonged defensive rearguard, were never in the contest and Exeter pulled away through tries by wing Olly Woodburn and flanker Don Armand, two more penalties and another Simmonds
Exeter 36 Newcastle 5
conversion, while Gareth Steenson added the final two points.
Alex Tait claimed a consolation try for Newcastle.
Baxter said: “We knew we would have to work very hard against a team that is very resilient.
“What we had was a performance glued together. It was glued together for longer than Newcastle managed.”
If Exeter beat Saracens in six days’ time they will be only the fourth club to defend Premiership silverware in the competition’s history.
Falcons rugby director Dean Richards said: “The boys did not freeze, they just did not capitalise on what opportunities they had.”