Saracens 30-14 Wasps: Two Jamie George tries help send Sarries top
Last Updated: 09/10/16 6:37pm
Saracens moved to the top of the Aviva Premiership table with a bonus point win over Wasps at Allianz Park which ended the visitors' 100 per cent start to the season.
First-half tries from Mako Vunipola and Mike Ellery gave Saracens a 13-8 lead at half-time, Josh Bassett responding for Wasps after a moment of magic from Danny Cipriani.
Wasps closed the score to 16-14, but Jamie George crossed twice in the final 12 minutes to seal victory for Mark McCall's side and send a statement to a team viewed as the greatest threat to their title.
Saracens now sit two points above Wasps in the table after six games.
Vunipola made the first indent on the visitors, the loosehead prop burrowing over from a short-range line-out that was set up by a darting run from Schalk Brits and a brainless penalty by Nathan Hughes.
It was not until the first quarter had passed that Wasps visited the home 22 for the first time and, although it was only a brief stay, there were signs that the balance of power was shifting.
An attacking line-out ended just short of the line when prop Simon McIntyre was penalised for holding on, but a spin out of the tackle from the influential Ashley Johnson forced Saracens to scramble.
Jimmy Gopperth landed a penalty to reward Wasps' endeavour, but their scrum was taken apart shortly after and Alex Lozowski sent his kick between the uprights.
It was going to take a flash of genius to pierce Saracens' defence and it was delivered in the 38th minute when Cipriani skinned Billy Vunipola with a burst of acceleration, darted down an exposed left wing and fed the scoring pass to Bassett.
Once Kearnan Myall had been helped from the pitch with a bloodied head, the champions issued their response with a series of drives that ended with Richard Wigglesworth sending a fizzing final pass to Ellery.
Cipriani glided into space to set pulses racing early in the second half, but having chipped ahead he lost the foot race with Lozowski.
Gopperth and Lozowski exchanged penalties and, following a 10-minute spell of dominance from Wasps, Saracens began camping deep in opposition territory but failed to score the try to put daylight between the rivals.
Instead, the next points were delivered by the boot of Gopperth and the visitors appeared to be seizing the initiative only for replacement hooker George to burrow over from close range twice in succession.
