Maro Itoje may just have found his kryptonite. Having last tasted defeat here in January as a replacement, a run of 31 straight victories when starting for the man who can seemingly do no wrong was brought to an abrupt end by a Harlequins side hellbent on breathing life into their 150th anniversary season.
That Saracens suffered their first defeat since March may come as a major surprise, but it was a fully warranted victory for Harlequins, who scored tries through their wings Tim Visser and Charlie Walker and made light work of their mounting injury problems.
The watching Eddie Jones will have relished the buoyancy of Mike Brown and Danny Care as much as the rearguard action from Chris Robshaw and he will have no doubt been impressed by the superb work of his compatriot James Horwill, who overshadowed Itoje until his late yellow card.
Jones will however be concerned by Joe Marler’s fitness, the loosehead prop was knocked unconscious by Billy Vunipola’s hip straight from kick-off, that of Care, who limped off midway through the second half with a hip problem, and Brown, who was grimacing throughout the first half.
Add Jack Clifford’s ankle surgery into the mix and Quins’ victory was all the more impressive, considering defeats at Sale and Exeter had followed a jittery opening weekend win over Bristol at Twickenham. They had the upper hand at the set-piece – proof that Graham Rowntree and Nick Easter are having an effect on the training paddock – and their Saracens counterparts can expect a flogging when they report back for duty after a week to forget, following Chris Ashton’s lengthy ban.
“I don’t think it was [a distraction]. It was a close game, although they were 17-0 they hadn’t had to do a lot,” said Mark McCall, Saracens’ director of rugby, who revealed that Owen Farrell may still not be ready for his return against Bristol on Friday.
“We needed to get something out of that period of pressure at the end of the first half and we didn’t. Owen is getting closer and closer but it’s just madness to make a short-term decision that could have longer-term implications.”
Having lost Marland Yarde to a throat infection in the morning Marler made way 15 seconds in but Walker, taking Yarde’s place on the wing, made early inroads down the right and Tim Swiel landed the subsequent penalty.
Soon after the restart Visser picked off Alex Lozowski’s pass near halfway and streaked clear under the posts. Swiel converted for 10-0 and Sarries were shell-shocked.
A jinking run through the middle from Alex Goode aside, the visitors had contributed little to a ferocious opening 20 minutes, by which stage Quins were 17-0 to the good. Three lineouts in the left corner later, Quins had their second score when Swiel floated a pass to Brown, who fed Walker on the overlap. Swiel again added a tricky conversion.
The following 20 minutes will have pleased John Kingston even more. A canny kick over the top from Richard Wigglesworth preceded an extended Saracens siege. Scrum followed scrum, Saracens perhaps aggrieved that Quins’ full contingent stayed on the pitch but some fine last-ditch defending, led by Robshaw, Jamie Roberts and the indefatigable Horwill, kept the visitors scoreless.
“The bottom line with Saracens is that they’re a very big, physical side and if you don’t match up to that situation you’re going to have a tough day at the office,” said Kingston. “It’s about keeping the balance and trying to play rugby but being a bit more pragmatic. We almost did a Saracens really. Your defence reflects your attitude and there’s nothing wrong with the attitude at this place.”
Two minutes after the break, Goode, on another mazy run, fed Mike Ellery, who arced his way outside the defence on the right, collected his chip ahead and fed Wigglesworth for Saracens’ try. Ominous. Not least as Care limped off soon after.
Swiel then struck the post with a penalty but when Lozowski followed suit with 17 minutes left you felt it was not going to be Saracens’ day. All the more so when he pulled another shot at goal as Saracens piled on the pressure and while Ben Spencer’s 77th-minute penalty brought into view the possibility of a draw, Quins were in no mood to let this one slip.
