Northampton secured their place in the play-offs, and a semi-final at Franklin’s Gardens, unless London Welsh perform the greatest miracle since loaves and fishes there in the next round. The Saints overcame the sinners of Saracens whose discipline collapsed along with their scrum after the break when they were penalised 13 times and finished a match they led for the most part fortunate to have a bonus point.
The match was played in Milton Keynes to allow the World Cup organisers a trial run before the three matches that will be held here in the tournament. The result was gridlock around the ground more than three hours before the kick-off, caused by road closures and the largest attendance ever here. Heavy traffic has been a feature of matches between the top two sides in the Premiership at the start of the round, who were last season’s Twickenham finalists.
This encounter was played out in the fast lane from the start, Saracens scoring a try within five minutes after moving the ball along the line, and their interval lead of 17-13 would have been greater had Billy Vunipola, who had looked slightly off the pace throughout, held on to the ball after charging down Stephen Myler’s clearance. The No8 had secured possession but the ball came loose as, under no pressure, he dived for the line prematurely.
Vunipola was not to last much longer, rolling his ankle after being tackled legitimately by Kahn Fotuali’i just before Samu Manoa helped him on his way to ground with a shoulder charge. Jackson Wray replaced the England forward, but within two minutes was being taken off the field on a stretcher following a clash of heads with his team-mate Ernst Joubert. The opening period lasted nearly an hour, but it had held little of the rancour that has been a feature of matches between the sides this decade.
The Saints had won four of the last five Premiership meetings between the sides, including two at the knockout stage. A fifth out of six would virtually guarantee them a home draw in the semi-finals, with London Welsh at home next, but April had been a cruel month for the champions, scuttled in Montferrand by Clermont Auvergne and sunk in Exeter. Saracens scented vulnerability and often abandoned structure, even to the point where they were caught short in defence.
Had Vunipola claimed what should have been a routine try, their boldness might have brought a reward but they gradually became entangled in Northampton’s web of driving mauls, kick‑chases and scrums. Saracens’ discipline failed to hold, and although Myler missed one kick at goal at the end of the first half, he was otherwise on target. When he gave his side the lead for the first time 63 minutes in, it was through his fifth penalty and the Saints had found a way to win.
They had tried a different route earlier. Luther Burrell made three breaks in the first quarter, the last of which took him outside Charlie Hodgson and into the Saracens’ 22 where he found Manoa in support for the sort of try Saracens do not often concede. They had been 14-6 ahead, Wyles scoring his second try after an outbreak of panic in Saint’s defence.
His first had come from a lineout after Alex Corbisiero was penalised at a scrumt as Joubert won the ball, which was moved along with line with alacrity. The second came after Fotuali’i and Myler had both passed when they should have held on to the ball and after Maro Itoje had driven over the ball to set up the turnover, Hodgson and Vunipola got the ball to the wing.
The high point for Saracens came four minutes after the restart when Hodgson kicked a penalty given against Dylan Hartley for not releasing. Shortly after, Fotuali’i’s attempt to take a quick penalty was thwarted by Itoje, who had not retreated 10m before challenging the scrum-half and earned 10 minutes in the sin-bin.
It was the game’s turning point. Northampton seized a momentum they were not to forfeit: Ken Pisi was held up on the line and, although Saracens were still ahead when Itoje returned, their lead had been reduced to one point by two Myler penalties and they had been reduced to sporadic attacks.
They had taken the field in an all-white kit, unaware Northampton were wearing a one-off strip for charity which featured a predominantly white shirt: the replacement black jerseys did not turn up until the break. Saracens did not really turn up after the break and after taking his penalty tally to six, Myler had the opportunity to deprive the visitors of a bonus point – but his kick in the final minute hit the post.
