A brace of Marlie Packer tries helped Saracens to their third Premier 15s title as they defeated Exeter Chiefs in front of a record crowd of 3,238 in Worcester.
Saracens dominated as the head coach Alex Austerberry said he could not put into words how much the win meant. “They are outstanding to work with, unbelievably driven and they are an extension of my family,” he said. “You get up in the morning and you’re working with these guys, you get a bounce in your step. You feed off their enthusiasm. I probably don’t have the vocabulary to express how much I care about them.”
Sarah McKenna made a crucial early turnover with the Chiefs edging into their 22. Saracens turned up the heat as they drew first blood. They were pulled back for a penalty advantage and Poppy Cleall took a quick tap which was inches from the line. The recycled ball found player-of-the-match Packer and she went under the posts. Exeter fans willed their side to hit back and a driving maul earned them a penalty. They displayed their intentions with a kick to the corner but a Saracens wall hit the maul and the defence proved impenetrable as they cleared their lines. May Campbell then bagged a turnover to quash Exeter’s momentum.
Saracens supporters found their voices next as a clean scrum and great breaks from McKenna and Packer set Austerberry’s side just metres from their second score. It came out to Vicky Fleetwood who dotted down. Exeter knew they had to be the next to score to get a foot back in the final and Patricia García produced the goods. Exeter won a penalty and the fly-half tapped and went. The Spanish international, who retired after the match, scored a beautiful one-handed finish.
Saracens’ game management came into play 10 minutes from half-time as they opted to kick a penalty and Alev Kelter scored three more points. The women in black started to turn the screw as Packer scored her second and 17th try of the season to send Saracens 24-7 up at the break.They did not waste any time coming out in the second half as stunning offloads gave Mackenzie Carson the chance to score a minute into the second 40.
With Exeter’s dream of a maiden title slipping away from them, they threw everything in an attempt to get a try. Hope Rogers powered over but Saracens defence stood firm again to hold her up. But Exeter can never be counted out and scored a team try. García almost got a brace but she decided to pass to Jennine Detiveaux, who crashed over. A comeback passed the lips of many in the stadium but Saracens were quick to silence them.
Packer and Kelter blistered towards the line and, after attempts to score by Hannah Botterman and Cleall, the ball was fizzed to Lotte Clapp who looked certain to but she could not control the ball. Saracens maintained possession and their charge for the line. The referee Harry Walbaum went to the TMO as Campbell then appeared to have scored. There was nothing clear to overturn the onfield decision and the try was given.
García was replaced by Megan Foster and the legend of the game shed some tears as she bowed to fans in her last game of rugby. She watched on as Saracens began to run away with the game. Alysha Corrigan was fed the ball in the 22 and powered over for a superb individual effort. Kelter failed to add the extras as she took too long to take the kick.
Exeter scored a consolation try through Ebony Jefferies. Their final appearance made history as they became the first club to make it other than Saracens or Harlequins, but in the end it remained a familiar story with Saracens dominating once more. Exeter’s head coach Susie Appleby added: “We’ve achieved more than we could have imagined in our second season but it doesn’t take away from the disappointment today. We made very uncharacteristic errors.”
