Saracens v Harlequins Premiership Cup Report

Disappointing. I can’t help feeling we let that one slip away from us during an abject first half performance and then only really bothered showing up when we needed to in the second bit. I will keep this report extremely short, no post-match analysis unfortunately. I'm exhausted and don't have the energy for a long article this evening!  

First Half

We showed up seemingly ready and raring to go and Sarries raced in to an early lead with a first minute try. We were on the front foot from a big Tom Willis carry then Louie Johnson broke the line before releasing Brandon Jackson down the left wing who showed impressive pace to open the scoring in the corner, see the photo attached. Louis Johnson kicked a lovely conversion and then Max Green was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock on (naughty naughty), and it looked like they would be punished almost immediately however aforementioned Tom Willis was held up over the line and our opposition got away with one. Very unlucky and Quins got away with no points conceded.

It only took 11 minutes for Harlequins to find their mojo, when Jamie Benson’s kick in behind sat up perfectly for Bryn Bradley who had a clear run to the line. Benson’s conversion made it level. Sarries struck back shortly after though to reclaim the lead in style. Charlie Bracken’s wide pass to Brandon Jackson on the wing allowed for an offload back inside and it fell perfectly for the scrum-half who could dot down from just a metre out. 14-7. In a topsy-turvy opening spell, Quins struck again to get themselves back on track. A huge overlap on the left saw the ball moved quickly through the hands and then Jack Musk was able to power through defenders and dot down in the corner.

The visitors then edged in front with 25 minutes on the clock. A sustained period of pressure deep inside the Saracens 22 eventually told, with Harlequins 2^nd row Harry Browne forcing his way over from close range to give Quins the lead. Sarries almost added another just a minute later as Jackson went hunting for an interception, but the ball agonisingly slipped through his grasp with the line beckoning and he knocked on with a try beckoning. It wasn’t long before the visitors struck again. A loose ball spilled out of a breakdown and landed in the hands of Ludo Kolade, who needed no second invitation as he raced clear to score, much to the delight of the travelling support who had turned out in numbers. Benson’s conversion stretched the lead to 12 points and things were going against us. There was still time for Quins to add further damage before the break. Josh Bellamy danced his way through from outside the 22 to cross, and the conversion sent Saracens down the tunnel trailing 33–14, facing a mountain to climb in the second half and many supporters seemed dejected, understandably so that was a shocking first half with some optional defence from us.

Second Half

Saracens knew a fast response was essential, and that belief was rewarded 10 minutes after the restart whistleblow from referee George Selwood. Tom Willis powered over from the back of a maul for the hosts’ third try, cutting the deficit and injecting fresh hope into the contest for us Sarries fans and the players alike. Willis was at the heart of everything, and moments later produced another moment of class to ignite the home crowd. Shrugging off three defenders with a ferocious carry, he offloaded superbly to Olly Hartley, who crossed for a try on his 50th appearance for the wolfpack. Johnson’s conversion brought Saracens right back into it at 28–33 with 20 minutes to play.

The comeback was completed just two minutes later. Nick Tompkins finished off an extraordinary spell, bursting through a gap before sliding under the posts in the rain to put Saracens back in front for the first time since the opening exchanges. But just as the momentum swung fully towards the hosts, Quins struck back in typical Harlequins style, reclaiming the lead with not long left.

The stage was set for a grandstand finish to see who would snatch a 5 pointer. Saracens hammered away in search of a decisive score, and a series of scrum penalties eventually saw Jamie Miller sent to the sin bin — a moment that looked to swing the game once more. From the resulting scrum, the ball was worked left to Seva Kava, who marked his debut in remarkable fashion by diving over in the corner for what appeared to be the winning try, sending the sarries faithful and home fans into raptures. But Quins had the final say. With the clock in the red, Tom Lawday crossed in the corner on the final play of the match to snatch victory for the visitors, condemning Saracens to a cruel and heartbreaking defeat in a dramatic Premiership Cup encounter. Very gutting and frustrating, a game we really should’ve won and this has dented our knockout ambitions somewhat and we need to take plenty of points over the next 2 games and 3 weeks.

We move onto Leicester Tigers at StoneX next weekend. A must-win. Come on Sarries!

Photo Credits - David W Loxham of the Sarries Supporters Assocation. Cheers Loxy!!