Saracens 62-14 Northampton: Seven-try Sarries obliterate Saints
By Robert Mulhern
Last Updated: 20/01/18 7:06pm
Saracens obliterated Northampton with a stunning seven-try performance that may well be good enough to see them qualify for the Champions Cup quarter finals.
The current European champions needed a four-try, bonus-point winning performance, but they possibly exceeded even the expectations of their most optimistic supporters with a ruthless showing.
After a tit-for-tat first quarter saw the lead change hands on multiple occasions, Saracens grabbed the contest by the scruff of the neck and then pounded Saints relentlessly.
The visitors were mercilessly exposed in the scrum and try after try followed as Sarries smelt a quarter-final place in the air of Allianz Park.
They scored five tries by the break but opted too to keep the scoreboard ticking over with a series of penalties kicked from an array of angles by Owen Farrell.
The out-half was in inspired form and Saracens took upon building an aggregate score, that could gift a best runner's-up spot, with no little efficiently.
It was a scoreline that looked unlikely after a bright start by Saints.
Scrum-half Jacobus Reinach opened the scoring on six minutes when he surged though to scoop up a dropped high ball from Alex Goode and Harry Mallinder converted to get Saracens off to the worst possible start.
But in terrible conditions, the Saracens ship was steadied by a Farrell penalty on 10 minutes before Mako Vunipola tucked the ball under his arm and rumbled over after the Sarries' pack squeezed Saints up front.
If Saracens thought the balance of power had been wrestled back in their favour, then Nafi Tuitavake injected doubt after a searing move saw him cross in the corner and Mallinder converted to make it 14-10 to the visitors as the game approached the end of the first quarter.
Saracens and Goode regrouped and the aforementioned full-back made amends for that earlier dropped effort to cross and put Saracens back in the lead at 17-14 on 21 minutes.
Thereafter everything went the European champions' way. Marcelo Bosch and Richard Wigglesworth both dotted down before big prop Vincent Koch and Vunipola combined for the former to score.
At half-time, a topsy-turvy first quarter had been turned into a five-try showing for Saracens who were already out of sight at 34-14.
They didn't miss a beat in the second-half. Upon the resumption the hosts pressured Saints into surrendering two penalties, both converted by Farrell, as they set about adding further to their aggregate score.
These penalties landed like jabs before winger Sean Maitland delivered another heavy blow, crossing in the corner with Farrell nailing the conversion from the touchline to make it 49-14.
The seventh try arrived when substitute Sione Vailanu - who came on for Schalk Burger - picked the ball from the base of a five-metre scrum and burst his way through three tackles to touch down. Farrell added the extras to stretch the score beyond the half-century of points for Saracens who led 56-14.
Farrell kicked two further penalties as the game went into its final stretch and by this juncture the life had been squeezed out of Saints. By contrast, Saracens' supporters had more than a dollop of optimism that some life remained in their European campaign.
