Match Report | Northampton Saints 28 - 24 Saracens Men (GPR R17)
Saracens fall short in agonising fashion against Northampton.
First half tries from Tom Willis, Juan Martin Gonzalez and Alex Goode set Northampton back, but despite a Rotimi Segun try early on in the second half, it wasn’t enough to prevent a Northampton comeback.
The game started at a quick pace with both teams keen to get the first score. Saracens were the closest to it in the opening five minutes after an early penalty at scrum time gave Elliot Daly a chance to head into the corner. After a strong lineout move pushed Ben Earl to just metres from the line, the visitors lost control of the ball allowing Saints to clear their lines.
However, it was the hosts who drew first blood inside the first 10 minutes. Quick phase play from Northampton kept Sarries on their toes, with Alex Mitchell finding a gap and nearly finding the line. It didn’t take long before Northampton did have their try though, a Fin Smith grubber through midfield unlocked the space allowing Josh Kemeny to slide over after gathering the bobbling ball.
The response was quick from the Men in Black this time capitalising on Northampton’s ill-discipline. A kick to the corner allowing the forward pack to get the drive on to well inside the hosts 22m before strong carries from Eroni Mawi and Juan Martin Gonzalez paved the way for Tom Willis to crash over.
The North Londoners then doubled down with another fine score 10 minutes later. Two sweeping backs moves unlocked momentum for Saracens and after Elliot Daly picked a perfect line through the midfield and finding a looping pass to Juan Martin Gonzalez out wide who slid in to create a five-point lead.
Sarries then produced a moment of magic halfway through the first half courtesy of Rotimi Segun. The winger collected a kick deep inside his own half before stepping past the Saints defence and find a gap to accelerate through, his pass to find Jamie George was deemed forward denying the visitors to score a beauty at the Gardens.
Saracens did still get the following score just before the break. Some slick handling just inside the Northampton half unlocked the door for Tobias Elliott to screech round the outside channel before flicking the ball back in-field to Alex Goode who raced under the sticks creating a 12-point deficit at the break.
The second half started in the same fashion as the second ended with another free-flowing Saracens set-piece move unlocking space for Tobias Elliott to straighten onto a good pass from Fergus Burke. The winger then combined with Rotimi Segun who turned on the gas, racing into the corner for the bonus point score.
Northampton thought they had narrowed the margin not long after with Alex Coles diving into the corner, however strong defensive work from Tom Willis denied the flanker as after review he was deemed to have knocked the ball over the line.
However, Saints did strike on the hour mark. The hosts managed to work the ball from left to right across multiple phases inside the Sarries 22m. But a quick thinking tap penalty from Alex Mitchell unlocked the door with Tarek Haffar crashing over a couple phases later from short range.
Northampton continued to knock at the door with relentless pressure putting Sarries firmly in their own 22. But a multi-phase defensive set from the visitors denying Saints a chance to close the gap on the scoreboard, instead Daly managed to steal the ball at the breakdown and thump it back into a vacant Northampton half.
With ten minutes left on the clock and ten points the difference between the sides, the job became harder for Sarries when Saints were awarded with a penalty try after a line-out drive was infringed close to the line. The result of which also meant Sarries would play the remainder of the game with a man disadvantage.
The final blow came late on with the clock in the red. Dingwall managed set Tom Litchfield through a gap before offloading to Tarek Haffar who crossed for his second of the afternoon.
Saracens season now rests on the final game of the season at StoneX Stadium, when table toppers Bath Rugby head to North London in a fortnight’s time. Get your tickets now for what will be a season defining affair.
