Mark McCall paid tribute to the way Saracens turned their match against Northampton around despite being down to 13 men.
Director of rugby delighted with response when short of numbers
Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall paid tribute to his side's attitude after turning their match against Northampton around despite being down to 13 men.
The visitors racked up 13 unanswered points without a full complement of 15 players after prop Carlos Nieto and fly-half Owen Farrell were both sent to the sin bin.
Saints captain Phil Dowson decided to go for the posts rather than taking a lineout but was left frustrated when fly-half Stephen Myler sent his attempt wide.
The miss kept Sarries in touch at 10-3 and, after Alex Goode kicked two penalties and converted a Brad Barritt try, they were six points ahead when Farrell returned to even the numbers. The away side would eventually go on to win 29-15.
"They had the opportunity to kick the ball in the corner when it is 10-3 but, when he missed that penalty, it gave us a lot of encouragement," McCall said.
"It was a crucial part of the match because 17-3 would have been a lot taller order. I'm delighted with everyone today and how we stepped up to it.
"We have a squad who like each other and, when you are down to 13 men, you have to play for each other which is what happened today.
Massive
"Having been down to 13 men against a team like Northampton and not conceded is massive.
"Our defence has been good in the last couple of weeks and was outstanding today. This is a tough place to come and so we are just glad we have got a result."
Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder defended the decision to go for the points rather than kick for the corner, although he was left rueing mistakes made when his side had the numerical advantage.
He said: "It is always a tricky one. You want to get points on the board but you could go for the corner and the scrum but, if you don't get the try, you think you should have gone for the kick.
"It was not nice to lose and especially at home. We came second best today and I thought Saracens were accurate.
"We were 10-3 up and, at that point, things looked pretty good. That period just at the end of the first-half and start of the second were vital. We had opportunities to score when they were down to 14 men.
"When teams are down to 14 men, we have to learn to look after the ball and not panic. At the end of the first-half, we could have just kept the ball and put the pressure on them.
"We came back in the second half and nearly got the bonus point but the game was over by then."
