Sarries reign supreme!
Saracens still the kings of Europe as they defend title with pulsating victory First side to go 18 games unbeaten ‘Double double’ is next target Ashton breaks try-scoring record
It was one of the greatest European finals and it cemented Saracens’ place as one of the greatest English club sides of the professional era as they clinched a thrilling victory against a Clermont team who oozed class and courage but in the end did not have the wherewithal to stop their opponents’ relentless march to more silverware.
This was Saracens’s 18th game unbeaten in the Champions Cup – a record – and their 100th win in all European competitions but arguably it was the most significant milestone in the club’s history. They join Leicester (2001-02), Leinster (2011-12) and Toulon (2013-15) as the only clubs to win backto-back European Cups.
Mark McCall’s men also remain on course for the remarkable feat of winning the Premiership and Champions’ Cup double for the second successive season. Their next assignment is at Exeter in the Premiership semi-final on Saturday. There is little time to celebrate or bind their wounds, with the winners due to face Leicester or Wasps in the final on May 27, yet on this form, they look unstoppable once again.
It is always harder to defend a title than win it, yet Saracens have coped with having a target on their backs throughout the campaign with the aplomb of true champions. Yesterday they delivered arguably the most complete performance of all, out-gunning Clermont in all aspects of a wonderfully open, yet ferocious contest.
No wonder that Warren Gatland, the Lions head coach, has included six of this side in his squad bound for New Zealand at the end of the month. Make it seven if you include Phil Morrow, the club’s director of performance. On this evidence, the Lions, if nothing else, will have a steely core.
The Vunipola brothers, in particular, delivered remarkable performances, leading the charge with their carrying and tackling and topping the charts.
There was the romance, too, of Chris Ashton, off to Toulon next season, finishing the game as Europe’s record tryscorer, his first half-try, complete with the ‘Ash-splash’, eclipsing Vincent Clerc’s total of 36 tries.
“I am going to miss it,” he said. “I have had five amazing years here. I have had unbelievable highs and definitely some lows but the support from the coaching group and players has been nothing short of phenomenal, they have always been by my side.”
Then there was the cool-headed ferocity of Owen Farrell, who landed three penalties in the second half to keep Saracens with enough breathing space to repel a stunning Clermont fightback, which yielded tries first by Rémi Lamerat and then former Bath and England wing Nick Abendanon.
Farrell was afterwards named as the European Player of the Year and the first winner of the Anthony Foley Memorial Award.
Alex Goode, overlooked by England and the Lions, also had one of his finest games and it was his ghosting try in the final quarter that eventually took the game away from the French side, who were once again the bridesmaids in a European final, having lost to Toulon in 2013 and 2015.
Fears that the opening exchanges might have been dominated by a kickfest were soon allayed as Saracens unleashed a high-tempo game plan, forcing Clermont on to the back foot with a series of power plays, combining precision passing with irresistible ballcarrying.
Saracens were playing a penalty advantage when Chris Wyles stormed off his wing to create an overlap, forcing the Clermont defence to hold their line and allowing Goode to chip through to the corner, where Ashton pounced ahead of Scott Spedding for a try of imperious quality.
Farrell’s penalty attempt from 49 metres fell the wrong side of the crossbar, yet Saracens continued their tight grip on the contest, and it seemed inevitable when George Kruis forced his way over for the second try, powering through Raphaël Chaume and Sébast- ien Vahaamahina after wave after wave of powerful drives and offloads.
Clermont knew they desperately needed a foothold and they have too much class not to find a response. It duly came after Aurélien Rougerie hit a great line from a five-metre scrum and when the ball was recycled Lamerat picked up and drove over the line.
Both sides had their chances before the interval but given Clermont’s tradition for winning matches from a strong start, Saracens would have gone into the interval as the more content side. When Farrell landed a penalty soon after the restart, their march to victory appeared on course.
This Clermont side can play, though, and the intensity of the contest rose several more notches after Peceli Yato’s superb handling skills eluded Farrell and Ashton to put Abendanon over for a try, with Morgan Parra’s conversion reducing the deficit to one point.
Farrell and Parra exchanged penalties and as the game entered the final quarter, it was still poised beautifully on a one-point knife-edge, with Clermont’s ability to force successive turnovers at the breakdown halting Saracens’ progress.
The introduction of Schalk Brits, however, brought a new dimension to Saracens’ attacking game and the momentum swung back towards the English side. A Brits break carved an opening for prop Vincent Koch – if it had been Ashton on his shoulder it would have been another try – and Clermont were mightily relieved not to concede a penalty try when Camille Lopez knocked on Wyles’s pass to Ashton with the line at his mercy.
Saracens would not be denied, however. When Clermont full-back Spedding knocked on in his own 22, it gave Saracens another platform from which to attack and this time they landed the killer blow when Goode ghosted through a gap.
A missed penalty by Lopez only served to underscore Clermont’s frustrations and ended any hopes of a late revival. This was Saracens’ day. And what a day.