Borthwick hails Sarries spirit

Borthwick: Delighted

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Saracens captain Steve Borthwick praised the character and determination from his side after their 18-14 victory over London Irish at Twickenham.

Sarries took an 18-3 lead into the break with a try, conversion and two penalties by Glen Jackson, and another touchdown by Andy Saull, however the Exiles fought back.

George Stowers crossed in the 62nd minute before penalties from by Ryan Lamb and Delon Armitage threatened a comeback.

Saracens were at one point reduced to 13 men midway through the second half, but they held on for the battling win which delighted England skipper Borthwick.

"It was a display of great character," said Borthwick. "It was always going to be a tight game and they came back at us. But the way every single person fought for the ball - our players are willing to fight and work so very, very hard.

"We won because of the character of the group. The willingness of the guys to put themselves out for each other was what won us the game."

Superb

It has been a summer of upheaval for Saracens, who signed 12 players - six of whom are South African - to plug the gaps left by the departures of 15 men at the end of last season.

But it was the reliable Jackson who helped Sarries grind out this win.

The Kiwi fly-half scored an opportunistic try of his own, kicked two penalties and a conversion, and then set up flanker Saull for a key try just before half-time, which put them 18-3 up.

Saracens director of rugby Brendan Venter said: "In pre-season, Glen has been very good. And he was superb today. It was the way he ran the game as a general."

Irish were poor in the first half, making lots of sloppy errors, and they were not helped by the inaccuracy of Lamb's place-kicking.

Toby Booth, Irish's head coach, was disappointed with the display of his side, who are being tipped to push for the Guinness Premiership title this season.

"We made too many unforced errors that allowed them on the front foot," he said. "We are a little bit behind where we wanted to be. We were ring-rusty.

"It was all stop-start and there was no opportunity to get any momentum. It's a stark reminder of how competitive this league is."