Match Report: Saracens Men 56-15 Wasps

Saracens Men secured their third consecutive victory in the Gallagher Premiership with a comfortable 56-15 bonus-point win over Wasps.

A sold-out StoneX Stadium were spoilt with free-flowing rugby throughout, as the Men in Black scored eight tries en-route to a dominant victory on Sunday afternoon.

Sarries enjoyed the majority of the early possession, and two routine penalties from Owen Farrell inside the first 10 minutes from in front of the posts have the hosts a 6-0 lead.

That lead grew just five minutes later as Jamie George crossed for the first try of the afternoon to give his side early breathing space. Aled Davies’ delayed pass saw Vincent Koch rampage in to the 22, and he calmly drew in the final defender before releasing the England hooker who ran clear from 15 metres out. Farrell’s conversion extended the advantage to 13-0.

Wasps were rewarded for some time on the ball with a penalty for Jimmy Gopperth which went straight through the posts just as the first quarter drew to a close, a quarter which the Men in Black would have been satisfied with.

A try of the season contender then followed as Sarries continued to dominate, and the score was finished by Max Malins in front of a raucous StoneX crowd. Nick Tompkins’ brilliant break from inside his 22 took play in to the Wasps half and he offloaded to Sean Maitland who carried right up to the line, before the ball was spun wide to Malins who strolled over in the corner. Farrell’s second conversion meant the lead now stood at 20-3.

Koch then in almost identical fashion to the first try found himself through a gap and charging in to the 22 as Sarries chased their third score, but the final pass to Mako Vunipola went to ground and Wasps escaped what would have been a certain try.

The third try did arrive with just one minute remaining in the first half to give the hosts a solid advantage. A five metre scrum gave them the perfect platform, and the rampaging Billy Vunipola dotted down from the base with the try-line right in front of him. The extras were added from Farrell, sending his team down the tunnel at half time with a 27-3 lead.

It took just two minutes of the second half for McCall’s men to secure the try bonus-point, and once again it was Malins who was the beneficiary of a sweeping attacking move. Nick Isiekwe’s acrobatic lineout take then saw Ben Earl smash his way over the gain line, and it was then moved to the left with George’s wide pass finding Malins who dived over in the corner.

Dom Morris then smashed his way to the line as it looked like number five would follow quickly, but the centre was held up and Wasps got the drop-out.

Sarries then had a penalty right on the Wasps line but got turned over and a grubber ahead saw a foot race between Malins and former Saracen Ali Crossdale, and luckily Malins just about won to keep the try-line intact.

It didn’t remain intact for long though, as Wasps did get a deserved try with 55 minutes gone, Crossdale was again involved and his looping pass found Gopperth on the wing who could run in without a defender to beat.

Another Wasps try followed just two minutes later as their hopes of a comeback gathered more momentum. It looked for all money like Sarries would score as Itoje offloaded to Tim Swinson right under the posts, but the pass went to ground and then Wasps smashed the ball up field.

It became a foot-race, and Zach Kibirige had the pace to gather and score their second in as many minutes. Gopperth’s conversion meant all of a sudden the lead was down to 17 points.

Sarries then got back in to their groove just after the hour, and Malins completed his second hat trick in a week to put them back in the driving seat. Itoje’s barrelling run saw play enter the 22 and then Farrell’s looping pass allowed Malins to glide over on another memorable day for the winger.

As it couldn’t get any better for Malins, he then scored his fourth of the day straight after to extend the lead once again. He gathered a high ball and then put Farrell through a gap, who then returned the favour to Malins on his left who had a clear run towards an adoring crowd behind the posts, whilst also bringing up the 40 point mark.

Sarries were playing some sumptuous rugby in the closing stages, and Alex Lozowski added further gloss to the scoreboard with another brilliant try. A long kick gave the back-three time, and Alex Lewington was released down the wing before passing back in-field to Lozowski who raced away under the posts. Farrell’s conversion took the lead up to 49-15.

The StoneX crowd were praying for the half century of points, and they got their wish as Ben Earl crashed over from close range to round off the afternoon in style. Farrell’s conversion was the last act, as Saracens climbed up to third in the table after another highly impressive performance.