Sarries hitting Max velocity...
...AS ‘MASTERFUL’ FARRELL STEERS THEM TO FINAL
Saracens Northampton
38
15
BY ALEX SPINK
OWEN FARRELL was hailed as “masterful” after leading Saracens back to Twickenham, for a seventh Premiership final in 10 years.
The England captain turned on the style in front of national boss
Steve Borthwick to set up a showpiece clash with Leicester or
Sale in a fortnight.
The Londoners buried the Premiership’s top-scoring team beneath a five-try avalanche – the final blow landed by Max Malins – and Farrell pulled the strings throughout. “I thought Owen was masterful,” Saracens boss Mark Mccall said. “You saw how he attacked, and he defended as well as anyone. He is so in control of his game.” Saracens rode their luck given Sean Maitland was fortunate to escape a firstminute card for clattering into George Furbank. Not only did he stay on the pitch but scored the game’s first two tries against a Saints side playing its first game for three weeks. Phil Dowson, Northampton’s director of rugby, refused to cry foul, instead blaming his team’s defensive fallibility. “We need to be better at not conceding tries,” he said. “It’s been an issue all season.”
He had a right to feel let down by the failure of Furbank and Alex Mitchell to deny Maitland his first. It was soon double the joy for Scotland wing Maitland after Courtney Lawes had been pinged despite Farrell (left) looking the more obvious offender.
The fly-half kicked to the corner and, after Sarries’ maul fractured, he switched play to the short side, threading through a grubber for Maitland to bag his second.
Ruthless Sarries are unbeaten in their last 15 games in the competition.
On home turf they delivered a masterclass with nine first-half turnovers, while Saints coughed up a try so soft it will give poor Alex Waller sleepless nights.
The prop stepped offside, but rather than protect the ball until the defence set, he gave it to Ivan van Zyl and turned his back, as the scrum-half tapped and burst through the unguarded hole to score.
Saints were so frustrated and vented it when Farrell was timed out kicking a penalty, yet it was allowed to stand.
They hit back with tries by Mitchell and James Ramm.
But Sarries’ two late scores – a penalty try and Malins’ coup de grace – halted resistance. SARACENS: Tries: Maitland (2), Van Zyl, Penalty, Malins;
Cons: Farrell (4); Pen: Farrell NORTHAMPTON : Tries: Mitchell, Ramm; Con: Smith; Pen: Smith