End of Owen era beckons

Sarries look to new generation

IN THE cold chill of the breeze-block media room beneath the old Crumbie Stand, Mark McCall began to talk about a warm, shiny future. Whether or not Owen Farrell will be a part of that future, he refused to say.

Having just picked through his team’s defeat by Leicester, the Saracens coach described reports about the No10’s move to Paris as ‘speculation’. Latest updates suggest Racing 92 will pay a sixfigure fee to sign him on a three-year deal.

The thought is enough to send shivers down the spines of Saracens supporters, some of whom turned out holding signs pleading with their captain not to leave.

There was a late surge of media requests for this fixture on Friday night. Suddenly the eyes of the rugby world were focused on Welford Road. McCall said he would always want Farrell at the club, but admitted that transitional shifts are inevitable for every team. ‘I remember presenting to the board in 2015 and we had Steve Borthwick, Ernst Joubert and a gang of people who were leaving that year,’ he said. ‘We looked at this new generation who were going to come through and hopefully grab hold of the club and they did. ‘That’s eight years ago. We’ve had a hell of a journey during that period, but I think that journey’s coming towards an end and there’s a new adventure next year on the horizon. That’s something we’re really looking forward to.’

While no contract has yet been signed, Farrell’s departure would signal the end of an era — maybe even a dynasty — for the club that have dominated the Premiership for a decade. The only chance of hearing from Farrell himself was if he was selected to do the man of the match interview. The odds of that crashed when his error gifted the first try to Leicester. The ball squirted out the back of a scrum and the hosts’ defence rushed up. Farrell failed to spot Dan Kelly sprinting into the passing channel and the Leicester centre intercepted and sprinted 40 metres to score.

There were opportunities for Leicester to move further ahead. They outmuscled the Saracens pack, which badly missed Jamie George and the Vunipola brothers. George Martin and Ollie Chessum were imperious in the second row, looking like a double act that could dominate scrums and mauls here for years to come.

The forwards provided a platform for Leicester attacks, but handling errors in the 22 ultimately meant they never clinched a four-try bonus point Freddie Steward battled a shoulder injury and left with his arm in a sling.

Farrell slipped beneath his usual standards, bar a 10-minute purple patch in the first half when Saracens momentarily took the lead. Launching a lineout strike, Farrell played the quarterback role, picking his runner in midfield before Tom Parton scored from Elliot Daly’s break. Farrell added the conversion before kicking a penalty to move his side further ahead, but the lead did not last. He fumbled a pass and sent a sliced clearance into touch, before Leicester wrestled their way back. No8 Jasper Wiese made a tackle-busting carry and earned a penalty. The hosts chose a scrum and Matt Rogerson scored.

Leicester are understood to have made enquiries about Fiji captain Waisea Nayacalevu to add punch to their 13 channel. He is likely to be out of their budget, but Kelly showed his quality in the jersey, having a second try harshly ruled out before half-time.

A turnover from Mike Brown killed Saracens’ first attack of the second half, before a big hit from Farrell on Martin did the same to Leicester. It was a battle of attrition, absorbingly tight throughout. Saracens’ double-figure penalty count culminated in a yellow card for Maro Itoje.

With the weight advantage, Leicester turned to their scrum, providing the platform for Harry Simmons to score on the right wing.

There will be better days ahead for Farrell in this jersey, although exactly how many remains to be seen.