FARRELL DAZZLE
Borthwick given a reminder of Owen magic
AN early prediction for 2023: this will be the year of the Saracen. The sell-out crowd that braved the elements in north London witnessed an utterly dominant victory over Exeter, with a flash of brilliance from Owen Farrell lighting up a gloomy afternoon.
Having managed the foul conditions better than anyone else on the pitch, the No 10 rounded off his day with a spectacular backdoor pass to set up the bonus-point try. He delivered a complete performance, leaving Steve Borthwick with plenty to think about ahead of his first England camp this week.
‘Owen has just turned 31, he has 100 caps, been on three British Lions tours, won everything domestically and captained his country,’ said Saracens coach Joe Shaw. ‘If you know anything about rugby then you’ll realise what an unbelievable, special talent we have had for this generation. He is absolutely fantastic.
‘Trying to lead a team in those conditions, the management of where you are is tough, and that is where you see the ultimate game managers. He is still at the very forefront of that. His kicks into space put them under pressure and he backed it up with how physical he was in defence. He was superb.’
With posts were swaying in the wind, Farrell pushed back Exeter with an early 50-22 kick, dominating the territorial battle. Ollie Woodburn was pinned into a corner and Saracens set up camp ahead of their opening try.
Mako Vunipola tapped a penalty from five metres out, before quickly shifting the ball through
Billy Vunipola’s hands to Andy Christie. With the point of attack shifted away from the onrushing forwards in a split second, Christie was left to run over the top of
Henry Slade to score.
It was the start of a chastening afternoon for Exeter, who scored just three points and find themselves lingering in the middle of the table.
The visitor’s set-piece stalled, allowing Saracens easy entry into their territory. Farrell’s grubber kick was touched down by Sean Maitland, before Marco Riccioni scored a third on the stroke of half time. A major rebuilding problem awaits for Exeter in 2023.
‘We are where we are — a midtable side,’ said Exeter coach Ali Hepher. ‘We have a run of home games now that are very important. We’ll target those games and try to put our stamp on the season.
‘We’ve got a lot to learn from it. We’ve been here against Saracens in the past, lost heavily but also learned the lessons and come back stronger.
‘What makes or breaks our season
won’t be what we’ve done here, but what we do over the next four or five matches. We’re on a rebuild. We’ve lost players because we haven’t been able to retain them within the salary cap.
‘We’re below where we were but we’re on the move back to that spot. It won’t happen overnight, but it’s exciting.’
Exeter’s penalty count hit 16, as they barely broke into Saracens territory. Farrell took advantage with six points from the boot after the break, before orchestrating the bonus-point score in the 67th minute.
Not renowned for his razzmatazz moments, Farrell stole the show when he threw a no-look pass to counter the rush defence, landing the ball the hands of Alex Lewington to score down the left wing.
The job was complete but the hosts landed one final blow, with Nick Tompkins scoring from the back of a maul, rolling into the New Year in style.