Knockout Rugby... London Style - Aviva Premiership Semi Final 2

On Saturday afternoon at 2pm it was time for the second of the Aviva Premiership Semi Finals as Saracens welcomed Harlequins to Allianz Park for the most important London Derby of the season.

Saracens have been in outstanding form and the expectation laid on the shoulders of Mark McCall’s men was huge. The last time that the selected squad stepped out onto a pitch together they produced one of the most outstanding displays of rugby that we have seen in years. In the build up to the game you could tell that they were quietly confident however equally they all knew that in order to beat Harlequins they had to deliver the same again and replicating brilliance is never easy. Conor O’Shea said before the match that he was sick of his side being written off and if you stop and pause for a moment you can understand his point. Harlequins didn’t make through to the Semi Final by accident; instead they worked tirelessly playing cup final after cup final in order to have the opportunity to run out at Allianz Park. 

Some say that Allianz Park is quite a quiet stadium and one that often lacks in atmosphere, well I can assure you that this was not the case on Saturday afternoon, the moment that Steve Borthwick led Saracens out, for the last time at home, whilst carrying his young child was truly special one and the noise throughout was ear piercing. Quins started well, they weren’t over-awed by the occasion and crucially they didn’t allow Saracens to race away from them. Instead they calmly recorded the first points of the match and sent a message to their opponents that they were there to break up the party. For all intents and purposes during the early stages of the game Quins looked to be the stronger of the two sides, they utilised their assets well and took their points when they had the opportunity. As with every single match that Saracens are involved in the physicality was brutal, at times it was shocking and I mean that in a good way and Quins matched this to a man. The manner in which Jacques Burger clears out rucks is eye watering brilliant and the clattering hits from both sides reverberated around the sunny stadium. Harlequins took advantage of the yellow cards to Bosch and Stevens and just before half time struck gold thanks to Mike Brown and that meant that after 40 minutes it was 17-11 to the visitors.

Owen Farrell had an uncharacteristically nervy day from the kicking tee and actually missed two penalties and one conversion and that mean that clawing the game back was a little harder than it should have been for McCall’s men however as we all suspected mid-way through the second half they began to dominate and find fifth gear. Whilst Quins began to look tired and battered Saracens went for the jugular and tries from Brad Barritt and Chris Ashton took the game to a place where Quins simply could not reach it. Focusing on individuals for a moment worryingly Mike Brown left the field injured and whilst the extent of his injury is unconfirmed it could be a nervy race against time to get him ready for England duty. For Saracens MOM Billy Vunipola treated us all to a delightful display and Schalk Brits continued to defy his job title as he, once again, looked more like Centre than a Hooker and when it mattered the whole squad showed their class to close out the match.

Harlequins should be immensely proud of their performance and equally of what they have achieved this season. O’Shea’s men have endured injury after injury after injury and yet they have powered through and during the process uncovered some brilliant talents; Kyle Sinckler and Dave Ward being the two most notable. However on Saturday afternoon it was just one step too far and Nick Evans summed it up following the game when he said “we gave it our all but sometimes that’s just not enough”.

Over the past 8 months Saracens have won the hearts and respect of all that watch the Aviva Premiership, they have evolved their game plan and become a world class side. Now Mark McCall’s men have another shot at Aviva Premiership glory and on top of that they have the chance to make history by doing the domestic and European double. I’m sure that at this moment, on Saturday evening, a few beers will be being consumed in celebration of a hard fought win however there will only be a few because now the work really starts... first stop Cardiff and Toulon before on 31st May they go head to head with the Northampton Saints in what is guaranteed to be an absolutely outstanding Aviva Premiership Final. 

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