Saracens vs Gloucester LIVE: Reigning champions through to another Premiership final with crushing win
Saracens will defend their Premiership title after defeating Gloucester 44-19 in a dominant display to book their place in next weekend's Twickenham showcase.
Gloucester briefly threatened an upset by scoring the first try of the match just three minutes into the semi-final through Ben Morgan, but the response from Saracens was emphatic as Sean Maitland, Ben Spencer and Liam Wiliams scored before the break.
The best was saved for the second half though, as Nick Tompkins came on to score a 28-minute hat-trick, with Gloucester scoring late consolations through Ruan Dreyer and Lewis Ludlow. Re-live the action below.
Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's Premiership semi-final between Saracens and Gloucester, brought to you from pitchside at Allianz Park.
With kick-off at 1:30pm this afternoon - the first of a semi-final double as Exeter vs Northampton gets underway at 4.30pm - we'll be kicking off our full coverage from 12:30pm.
It's a beautiful sunny day in Barnet where the Gloucester team have just arrived to a warm reception, as good numbers have travelled down from the West Country for what is the club's biggest match in eight years.
Before we begin with our full build-up, the teams have just been confirmed by both sides and there's no chnges to report. With that in mind, here's how they line up this afternoon:
Plenty of the focus of today's match centres around the battle at 10, with Owen Farrell going up against Danny Cipriani.
11 months ago the two were lining up together for England against South Africa, but that was the last time Cipriani wore the red rose and many believe this is his chance to get back in it.
However, there is plenty more to this game than what it means for England...
With the teams out warming up, they're surrounded by a sea of black, red and white, as the many Cherry and White jerseys on display blend in with the flags that Saracens have surrounding the pitch in. It all looks rather picturesque right now.
Gloucester leave it late to head in from the warm-up, with just eight minutes to go until kick-off as Billy Twelvetrees leads his side past the roaring West Stand. Saracens are well and truly underway with their final preparations after disappearing some five minutes ago, evidently happy with how they're shaping up for the match.
Led out by David Strettle on his final appearance here before retirement, Saracens have given it the works - flamethrowers, fireworks, flags and an emormous shirt on the pitch.
1 mins: It's a disaster of a start for Saracens, as Kruis drops a simple catch forward straight into the Gloucester pack. It was an unforced error that you rarely see from Saracens, and gives Gloucester the early advantage.
Let's start with the Gloucester score. The Cherry and Whites work the ball from right to left to give them the sapce to come back again. Woodward picks a lovely line on Atkinson's inside shoulder, and it fixes Jamie George enough that they get the space on the outside. With Maitland taking Marshall on the wing, the spare man out wide is Ben Morgan, who races over in the corner and is followed by a lovely Twelvetrees conversion. 0-7
However, they too make a mess of the restart, leaving Farrell's kick that allows Williams to tap the ball back into the home side's possession. Saracens go left, and Farrell chips in behind in the left corner with a nudge that sits up perfectly for Sean Maitland to dive over. Farrell can't convert though, so Gloucester hold a slender lead. 5-7
9 mins: Cipriani comes up with his first mistake of the game as he sends an attacking kick straight into touch, giving Saracens lineout ball about 10m outside the Gloucester 22. However, Saracens make a mess of the lineout, and Gloucester have the ball back.
14 mins: Lineouts are definitely proving the problem here. Saracens conceded a penalty, which quickly sees them marching 10 metres backwards after Farrell backchats referee Luke Pearce. But despite Cipriani putting the ball into touch some seven metres out, Marais' lineout is poor and Sarries collect and clear.
16 mins: That is a strange piece of refereeing. Spencer goes to put up a high box-kick, but he dallies and the entire Saracens team is offside. What makes it more obvious is that Spencer then doesn't chase the kick, meaning they're all offside. But it hasn't been spotted, and when Cipriani catches the kick and tries to offload, it's Saracens who get the offside penalty.
Farrell kicks it and Saracens lead, but that's harsh on Gloucester. 8-7
Saracens vs Gloucester kicks off at 1:30pm on Saturday 25 May.
Where can I watch it?
The Premiership semi-final will be shown live on BT Sport 1 from 12:45pm.
What is the other semi-final?
Premiership table-toppers Exeter Chiefs take on Northampton Saints at 4.30pm.
Odds
Saracens: 1/6
Gloucester: 11/2
Draw (after 80 minutes): 25/1
What happens if it’s a draw?
There will be a five-minute break followed by a period of extra time of ten minutes each way, with a one-minute interval. If the scores remain equal, then the winner will be the team which has scored the most tries in the game (including extra time).
If the scores are level and the number of tries scored is equal, then there shall be a place kick competition. Each team nominates three kickers who will attempt to slot the ball through posts from six designated positions on the 10 and 22-metre lines. If the scores are tied after the six kicks for each team, it will go to “sudden death” from the middle of the 10-metre line. The three kickers must have been playing at the final whistle of extra time.
