Saracens triumph in battle of the top dogs
AS a long Premiership season moves towards the business end of affairs, Saracens are beginning to flex their muscles and were ultimately good value for this bonus-point win over leaders Leicester.
Both teams will surely feature in the play-offs and this was a very satisfying taster – full throated, full of big hits, a tad fractious and plenty of action. Proper rugby.
For Saracens, Nick Tompkins led from the front with his busy aggressive defence and buzzing 80-minute presence. Billy Vunipola wasn’t far behind and hooker Tom Woolstencroft continued his rich vein of form with another two tries.
As for Leicester, collectively, they really picked up the pace in the final half hour and at one stage had moved to within two points of Saracens before the home side finished them off with the second of Woolstencroft’s trademark lineout rumbles.
It was Tigers, playing into a boisterous wind, who were first out of the blocks and built pressure with three threatening lineouts before their big Zimbabwe lock Eli Snyman made ground from a lineout rumble and reached out well for a converted try.
An encouraging start and for much of the first quarter Tigers maintained that intensity against a Sarries side that was also reorganising a little after skipper Mako Vunipola had gone off with an ankle injury.
But when Sarries did get their act together they were difficult to contain. First hooker Woolstencroft – one of the legion of foot soldiers who they sign cheaply and convert into seriously good players – rumbled over for a try, which means he has now scored in all of Sarries’ last five matches.
Ford did nip in with a simple penalty to regain the lead for Tigers but on the half hour Sarries hit the accelerator.
A delightful set-piece try from a scrum – Aled Davies to Tompkins, Alex Goode out the back and a perfect pass from Elliot Daly saw Alex Lewington dive in. It was a simply scored try but Kini Murimurivalu insisted on sliding in very late and making painful contact with Lewington’s sternum.
A clear yellow card and not only did Alex Lozowski nail the touchline conversion he then drilled home the penalty from halfway from the restart. All power to Craig Maxwell-Keys for not permitting such foul play.
Sarries weren’t finished. Ford may have pegged back another penalty but on the stroke of half-time Tompkins chased the restart well to win possession and then a couple of phases later popped up to put Sean Maitland in for a third try.
The contest seemed nearly over shortly after half-time when Vincent Koch swooped for a fourth Sarries try but, with the wind if anything getting even stronger, Leicester finally mastered the conditions and started to lay siege to the Leicester line.
Sarries were in flinty mood but Nic Dolly got one converted try back as both sides put bodies on the line. Aled Davies was rightly yellow carded for a high tackle on Ford but incredibly one of the nastier neck rolls you will ever see, from Callum Green, went unpunished.
With eight minutes left Ollie Chessum ploughed over and Ford converted to set up a grandstand finish. The wind seemed in Tigers sails but Saracens seized the moment, won a penalty after a good passage of pressure, went for the corner and Woolstencroft did the rest.