MATCH REPORT | Northampton Saints 35 - 33 Saracens Men

Saracens completed their PREM Rugby Cup campaign in dramatic fashion, falling to a last minute defeat against Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens.

The Original Club of North London were edged out in the dying seconds by their upcoming Showdown VI opponents, bringing an enthralling, back and forth contest to a cruel conclusion.

The game exploded into life from the outset, with both sides on the scoresheet inside the opening five minutes. Brandon Jackson set the tone with an aggressive charge down attempt on James Pater’s clearance straight from kick off. The resulting goal line drop out failed to clear danger, handing Saracens prime field position. Andy Onyeama Christie capitalised immediately, slipping a short pass to Olly Hartley, who glided through a narrow gap before slaloming over for a superb early score.

Saints responded almost instantly. After regathering possession from a Saracens knock on in midfield, the hosts moved the ball sharply through the hands and found James Ramm out wide, who crossed following slick interplay from the Northampton backline.

Moments later Tom James attempted to catch Saracens napping with a quick tap penalty, chipping cleverly in behind, but Luke Davidson reacted sharply at full back. The youngster, impressive throughout the afternoon, tidied up calmly before stepping away from pressure.

Midway through the first half, Saracens struck again with a scintillating counter attack. After Saints knocked on just metres from the line, Gareth Simpson hacked the loose ball towards halfway and combined neatly with Hartley and Jackson. With Northampton scrambling, Theo McFarland cut a superb line and offloaded to Alex Lozowski, who in turn released Nick Tompkins to race over for a brilliant try against the run of play.

The momentum continued to swing. Ten minutes later George Furbank crossed for the hosts after Saracens lost possession deep in their own territory. Strong carries from the Saints pack created the platform before sharp hands sent the England international over out wide.

Saracens’ defensive resilience kept them in the contest before the break. Onyeama Christie and Tompkins combined to hold up Chunya Munga over the line, while Theo Dan produced a crucial tap tackle to deny Pater down the wing. The scores remained level at half time.

The second half mirrored the first with an early Saracens strike. A turnover penalty from Alex O’Driscoll provided the opportunity, and from the resulting lineout the visitors executed a textbook maul, with Dan peeling away to touch down and restore the lead.

The bonus point score followed shortly after. With penalties mounting against Saints, Saracens moved the ball from close range and a sharp pass from Davidson found Rotimi Segun, who danced and accelerated over against his former side.

Northampton refused to fade. A loose bouncing ball fell kindly for Munga, who burst through midfield and twisted his way over to keep the hosts within reach.

Saracens again showcased their defensive steel, forcing another knock on close to their line with 15 minutes remaining, and they quickly turned defence into attack. Lozowski intercepted in the Saints backline and sprinted the length of the field before unselfishly offloading to Jackson to finish.

Still, Saints found another response. A dazzling individual break from George Hendy carved open the defence, allowing Rory Hutchinson to dive over in the corner and reduce the deficit to five.

The decisive moment came late on. Hendy once again produced a moment of magic, weaving his way the length of the field to score in the corner and level the match. Teenage fly half James Pater held his nerve to slot the conversion in front of the home crowd, sealing a dramatic victory and breaking Saracens hearts at the final whistle.