MATCH REPORT | Saracens Men 17-21 Northampton Saints

The Showdown 6 in Association with StoneX ended in a heartbreaking 21-17 defeat as a last minute try gave Northampton Saints the win in front of over 45,000 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Original Club of North London trailed 14-0 inside the first 15 minutes and showed incredible character to get in front, but a last gasp try cost them a dramatic victory.

Saints started strongly and almost scored straight from kick off as Archie McParland grubbered ahead but fortunately for the hosts, Tobias Elliott won the footrace and dotted the ball down in the in-goal area.

James Ramm was then inches from opening the scoring when he had the ball on the left wing just 10 metres from the line, but after stepping inside some brilliant work at the breakdown allowed Sarries to turn the ball over.

They did get the points that their start deserved with eight minutes played as Tom Litchfield opened the scoring to the delight of the large travelling contingent. A break in the midfield took them in to the 22, and then a reverse pass put Litchfield through a gap and he breezed through under the posts. Fin Smith’s conversion gave them a 7-0 lead.

That lead then doubled shorty after as Saints continued their fast start. Smith dummied his way though the defensive line and had McParland on his shoulder after drawing in the last defender and he was able to stroll over unattended to make it 14-0.

It almost got worse when Henry Pollock snuck through a gap and dotted down, but the referee pulled play back for obstruction and Sarries got some much needed possession.

The Londoners needed something to spark in to life, and that is exactly what they got on the 20 minute mark as Tobias Elliott crossed for their first points of the day. A strong spell of possession with big carries from Rhys Carre and Tom Willis, and then eventually the ball was spun wide to the winger who finished powerfully in the corner. Owen Farrell’s conversion cut the deficit to seven points.

Sarries were now enjoying a better spell and almost got level with a smart lineout move as Theo Dan and Maro Itoje played a one-two, but he was hauled in to touch with the line beckoning.

The pack were starting to get some dominance up front with a string of scrum penalties, but that wasn’t reflected in the scoreboard and Saints ate up the final minutes of the first half to go down the tunnel with a 14-7 lead at the break.

Sarries made the perfect start the second half with a try just five minutes after the restart to get themselves level. A penalty was kicked to the corner, and in trademark style Dan broke away from the back of a maul and thundered over the line. Farrell’s conversion made it 14-14.

The comeback was almost complete with 50 minutes gone as Rotimi Segun found space but slipped at the final moment, and then Hugh Tizard juggled the ball over the line but it agonisingly slipped out of his grasp.

Both sides were struggling to gain any momentum with the majority of the match being played in the middle third, as well as both benches being emptied in attempt to create some intensity.

JJ Van Der Mescht had a golden chance for Saints with 10 minutes to go as he raced on to a pass on the left wing, but some incredible defence from Elliott and Fergus Burke somehow held him up and Sarries got the turnover.

Then came a crucial moment with just eight minutes left as Elliott and Max Malins combined to break in to the Saints half, and a penalty in front of the posts allowed Burke to kick his side in to a 17-14 lead.   

However there was a late sting in the tail as Litchfield made a late break and passed inside to McParland who could run under the posts to secure a dramatic win for the visitors. The conversion from Tom Litchfield made it 21-17 with just one minute left.

Sarries had one more chance from the kick off but Saints survived and condemned their opponents to a heartbreaking defeat.