MATCH REPORT | Saracens Men 15 - 33 Harlequins (PREM R4)
Saracens fall short at the Stoop on Smith’s milestone day
Saracens came up short against Harlequins at the The Stoop in Round 4 of the Gallagher PREM, on the day Marcus Smith marked his 200th appearance for the hosts.
Two yellow cards and a penalty try proved costly for the Original Club of North London, who showed plenty of fight while a man down but couldn’t claw back a fast start from Quins.
In blustery conditions in South West London, it was the hosts who made the perfect start. Smith celebrated his milestone in fitting fashion, breaking down the left inside the first three minutes before adding the extras himself.
Things then went from bad to worse for the visitors. Fin Baxter found Seb Driscoll with a well-timed offload and the Quins man dotted down near the posts, Smith once again converting.
Saracens struck back on 18 minutes. Tomos Williams fired a long pass out to Rotimi Segun, who finished in the left hand corner, though Fergus Burke’s conversion went astray.
However, just as Sarries looked to be getting back into the game, they were left chasing it again. Harlequins were stopped close to the line, but not legally in the eyes of the referee, who awarded a penalty try. Ben Earl was shown a yellow card, leaving Saracens down to 14 men.
The visitors nearly hit straight back. Segun chased his own chip down the left wing and fed the ball inside to Andy Christie, who found Max Malins with what looked like a clear run to the line. Smith had other ideas, creeping up behind to strip the ball before Malins could ground it.
On 35 minutes, Burke was sent to the bin following a clash of heads as he went to tackle Rodrigo Isgro. Harlequins took full advantage, swinging the ball left for Cadan Murley to find room round the outside and dot down.
Saracens finished the half strongly. Off the top of a lineout maul, Theo Dan battled his way over with the clock in the red. With Burke off the field, Malins took the tee but couldn’t add the extras, leaving Sarries 16 points behind at the break.
The visitors returned for the second half without Burke, who failed his HIA. Changes followed soon after, with Jamie George, Alex O’Driscoll, Hugh Tizard and Juan Martin Gonzalez among five replacements introduced.
It was Quins who struck next, though. Will Porter darted through a number of Saracens defenders to finish near the posts, with Smith slotting the conversion.
Saracens responded on 61 minutes, Nick Tompkins tumbling over the line himself. Angus Hall’s conversion from out wide was missed.
Sarries tried to build some late momentum, but an untimely knock-on when retrieving the ball from the ruck brought it to a halt. With possession back in their hands, Harlequins were in no rush and saw out the win.
We're back at StoneX Stadium on Saturday for a double header as Saracens Men take on Newcastle Redbulls (15:00 KO) and Saracens Women take on Bristol Bears in the semi-final of the Jaecoo Next Gen Cup (18:00 KO).
Get your tickets HERE!
