Richard Hill went out on a high as Saracens claimed a last-gasp 25-20 victory over Bristol in the final game of his illustrious career.
Legendary flanker signs off with a victory
Richard Hill went out on a high as Saracens claimed a last-gasp 25-20 victory over Bristol in the final game of his illustrious career.
The flanker, who is widely regarded as one of England's greatest players and was part of the World Cup-winning side in 2003, was typically modest at the conclusion of his playing days.
"I would like to say a big thank you to the whole of Saracens," Hill told the fans in Milton Keynes following his 288th and final appearance for the club.
"It's been a very special 15 years but it isn't about me, it's about the team."
The 34-year-old paid tribute to the medical personnel whose skill enabled him to return from the career-threatening injury which kept him out of the game for 18 months, left him with a permanent limp and effectively ended his hopes of defending the World Cup in 2007.
"There are many coaches throughout my career I would like to thank and I've also got a big medical list to go through," he added.
Highs and lows
"I've had a lot of highs away from Saracens in terms of playing for England and the Lions but then there have been the lows of injury in recent years.
"But there are no regrets. There have been setbacks but they have probably made me more determined to rise even higher."
Saracens had to wait until the last minute against Bristol before left-wing Kameli Ratuvou's try secured the victory, leaving director of rugby Alan Gaffney - who will be replaced by former Australia coach Eddie Jones next season - far from happy.
"I thought we were dire," said Gaffney. "We started off well but seemed to go into snooze mode for 20 minutes.
"We just couldn't build any pressure. We've shown we can turn in good performances this season but we've lacked consistency and that's something we need to put right."
Exciting prospect
Bristol assistant coach John Brain was disappointed with the result but impressed by the two-try contribution of 19-year-old centre Luke Eves.
"The players created a winning position for themselves but didn't execute things correctly and take the right options," said Brain.
"There were times when we needed to hang onto the ball in contact to put pressure on them but we didn't maintain that.
"We lost that game - Saracens didn't win it. Some people will say we were unlucky not to win the game but I don't buy that."
On Eves, he added: "He played very well and is a really exciting prospect for next season."
