Saracens shook off the hangover from last week’s team-bonding trip to Dubrovnik in time to stage a comeback that secured victory over Newcastle Falcons and guaranteed they will finish top of the table in the regular season.
Having conceded two first-half tries to Marcus Watson, the Saracens forwards took control with Jackson Wray touching down from two powerful driving mauls before Maro Itoje peeled off another as the champions compiled 20 unanswered points.
Although there are no prizes for finishing top of the Premiership, it does afford them a home semi-final against the fourth-placed team, which is likely to be Leicester Tigers. To have sealed top spot a week early has at least earned Mark McCall, the Saracens director of rugby, an opportunity to rest more players for the trip to Worcester Warriors on Saturday in preparation for their tilt at a European Champions Cup and Aviva Premiership double.
Saracens have been in this position before. Two years ago they reached the final of both competitions and lost them both, but McCall believes that his team are much better prepared this time around before facing Racing 92 in Lyons on May 14 followed by the Premiership semi-final a week later.
“We are really proud we have come top of the log; this is the third time in four years that we have done that,” McCall said. “I think we do [feel better prepared]. You can’t be afraid because of what happened in the past.”
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Jacques Burger, dosed up on painkillers, made one last, emotional appearance for the club before he heads off for two more operations on his battered body and a new life running the family farm in Namibia. “Everyone agrees he is the toughest and bravest rugby player there is but to know what he went through to play again [after a serious knee operation] through two years, when there were same dark days, it is inspirational,” McCall said.
Dean Richards, the Newcastle director of rugby, knows a double- winning team when he sees one, having coached Leicester to domestic and European honours. “I can see Saracens doing it,” he said. “They have got the bit between their teeth this year.”
This was the third consecutive 11th- place finish for Newcastle but the most frustrating. “I genuinely didn’t think we would go down this year. That is not being blind to what is going on, I just thought we were too good a side to go down,” Richards said. “We felt we should have been right up the league. I think in the other seasons we deserved to be 11th but this year we were really frustrated.”
Scorers: Saracens: Tries: Wray 2 (46min, 52), Itoje (68) Penalty goal: Hodgson (20). Newcastle Falcons: Tries: Watson 2 (22 ,39). Conversions: Willis 2. Scoring sequence (Saracens first) 3-0, 3-7, 3-14 (half-time), 8-14, 15-14, 18-14, 23-14
Saracens: B Ransom; C Ashton, M Bosch, B Barritt (rep: N Tompkins, 73), C Wyles; C Hodgson (rep: N Mordt, 75), R Wigglesworth (rep: B Spencer, 55); R Barrington (rep: M Vunipola, 41), J Saunders (rep: S Brits, 55), T Lamositele (rep: J Figallo, 41), M Itoje, J Hamilton (rep: H Smith, 71), M Rhodes, J Burger (rep: K Brown, 52), J Wray.
Newcastle Falcons: S Hammersley; A Tait, C Harris, A Powell (rep: T Penney, 71), M Watson; C Willis (rep: T Catterick, 70), M Young (rep: R Tipuna, 70); R Vickers (rep: A Rogers, 66), G McGuigan (rep: R Hawkins, 71), T Vea (rep: A Foster, 36-41, 54-64), M Botha (rep: R Mayhew, 62), S Robinson (rep: C Green, 35), W Welch, D Temm, M Wilson.
Referee: I Tempest. Attendance: 9,744.