A spiky, sparkling Premiership play-off of outrageous intensity between fierce rivals saw Saracens booking a place in next Saturday’s final, ending Harlequins’ title defence at the penultimate hurdle.
Saracens won a breathless, brutal battle that left its players bloodied and battered by 34 points to 17 – but it was so much closer than that. There were eight tries, four yellow cards and, until the final few minutes, no obvious winner.
A hat-trick from Ben Earl and one each from Nick Tompkins and Aled Davies that took Saracens to Twickenham, where they will meet Leicester or Northampton. In their first season back in the Premiership, that is some achievement.
Last season, freewheeling Quins won the title in a dizzying few weeks early last summer that put the rest of the league on notice: they are never beaten until the final whistle. The catch was that Sarries were enjoying an involuntary sabbatical in the Championship.
On Sarries’ Premiership return, it has not quite like been like they were never away – but not far off. They lack a little of the squad depth of the era that ended in 2019, but still have a formidable side. Quins are better now than they were last season, too.
This was both sides’ dream play-off. Senior players on each team still remember a fractious semi at this ground in 2014 that underpins a rivalry that has never been this evenly-matched. Quins’ bitterness over the salary cap saga adds a side of grudge to a clash of styles. Both teams are much more than the generalisations – structured, intense and relentless Sarries and Quins, the instinctive entertainers – but there is truth in there somewhere.
Then consider all the international match-ups: Mako Vunipola and Joe Marler in the front row; Billy Vunipola and Alex Dombrandt at No8; Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith at fly-half; Elliot Daly and Joe Marchant in the centres.
On a bright and breezy Saturday in north London, the game lived up to its billing.
It was Harlequins who made much the brighter start. Under pressure after a lazy Jamie George pass at the back of a maul, Aled Davies, the Saracens scrum-half stuck the ball out on the full. Quins’ rolling maul took them into the 22, where they won a penalty, which – after the first scuffle of the game – went to the corner. The rolling maul did the job again, with Dombrandt going over.
Smith missed the conversion but Quins were relieved that Sarries’ first foray into the 22 brought just three points – a Farrell penalty – when they threatened five after a Maro Itoje quick tap.
Sarries spent much of the next 10 minutes repelling Quins in their 22. Itoje conceded a string off penalties at the lineout, but Saracens soaked up the pressure, once, twice, until Quins won a scrum in centre-field. Marler got the better of Vincent Koch as Quins creaked forward, and with penalty advantage, Dombrandt fed Danny Care, who linked up with Smith. He wriggled past Farrell, then found Care inside. He crossed the line and put a finger to his mouth. With Smith’s conversion, Quins led 12-3.
Saracens, and especially Farrell, looked rattled – but shortly after the break, they led by 10 points, thanks to a one-man advantage, too.
They responded promptly to Care’s try with one of their own from Earl, this week crowned player of the season, but it soon appeared that Marchant was dotting down to extend Quins’ lead after a chaotic passage of play. But Dombrandt had knocked on in the build-up and, at closer inspection, Jack Walker’s high tackle on Farrell earned him a yellow card, eight minutes before the break. Quins were defending with outrageous intensity, but living on the edge.
While he was away, Saracens scored one seven-point try before half-time, and another after. Farrell, charging straight at Smith, fed Nick Tompkins under the posts, and Sarries took a three-point lead into the break. In a chaotic start to the second period, Dombrandt dropped the kick-off, Care slipped in defence, and Earl breezed in to score on the right.
Infamously, it is in these situations that Quins are at their most dangerous, but Saracens soon extended their lead to 15. That they did was down to a beautiful support line from tighthead Koch, who fed Davies to score. Farrell missed the conversion again.
Quins refused to give up, and their direct attack saw a pair of Saracens sent to the sin bin for dangerous tackles. The first was for Daly on Smith, then Billy Vunipola was high on the immense Andre Esterhuizen. Between times, Sarries had repelled Quins, sparking two separate brawls.
While both men were in the bin, Quins won a penalty under the posts, and opted for a scrum. From it, they went left, and Cadan Murley ran in for a simple score. Smith missed the conversion and, with 13 minutes left, they were still 10 points back.
Daly returned and, thanks to a superb hold-up on the line from Nick Isiekwe, who was superb off the bench, Sarries weathered another storm. But no sooner had Vunipola returned, than Alex Lozowski was sent to the bin, leaving Saracens to negotiate the final seven minutes with 14 men and a 10-point lead.
They had the smarts. Itoje’s immense defence earned them a scrum, at which they won a penalty, sparking another fight. They cleared their lines and found time for another attack. Even Quins, finally, were beaten, as Earl rumbled over to complete his hat-trick. After two years of pain, a roar of relief filled the StoneX Stadium.
