In the first semi-final, Saracens welcomed their arch-enemies Harlequins to the StoneX for the London Derby. Quins were vocal in the build-up but ultimately could not back up their bluster. Saracens had to weather an early storm as Quins went out to a 12 – 3 lead after twenty minutes. Saracens came back with two tries of their own, to go into the break with a 15 – 12 lead. The match turned from the restart when England No. 8, Alex Dombrandt, dropped the kick off cold and from the resulting attack, Ben Earl scored in the corner to take the score to 22 – 12. After a moment of brilliance from Vincent Koch, standing out in the 13 channel, Aled Davies stretched the lead to 27 – 12. Even though Quins are the ‘Comeback Kings’ of the last two seasons, Sarries were never likely to relinquish this lead.
In a clash of styles, Saracens dominated territory through their excellent kick-chase and physicality in the forwards which the Quins couldn’t cope with. Will Evans, the Quins openside, was a mile out of his depth and conceded a series of stupid penalties at the ruck and also got run over by Ben Earl for one of his tries as if to underline his deficiencies.
Leicester were not at their cohesive best in the 249th East Midlands derby, but managed to ride their luck to win against their enterprising near neighbours and hated rivals, Northampton Saints. If Saints had taken their chances it could have been so different but these are the fine margins at the elite level that makes the difference between winning and losing.
I still cannot believe Courtnall Skosan has 12 Bok caps! My incredulity at this anomaly was justified in the most brutal way in this semi-final. Skosan literally threw away 3 tries in a series of comical knock-ons that should embarrass every South African rugby fan. The commentary team could barely contain themselves. Leicester play a style as dull as the personality of their coach Steve Borthwick, but this limited gameplan took them to top spot in the round robin phase. Their set piece is the cornerstone of their game, allied with a well-marshalled defence. Leicester kicked 75% of their possession in the semi-final and George Ford was man-of-the-match as he scored 22 of his side’s points in the 27 – 14 win.
The Final will be a brutal physical battle upfront, with quality matchups all over the pitch. The battle amongst the loose forwards promises to be the most intriguing. Ben Earl was man-of-the-match for Saracens in their semi-final and he has been in great form, but he will come up against a brilliant young openside in Tommy Reffell. The battle at the breakdown should be earth-shattering. Wayne Barnes’ interpretations at the ruck could have a significant bearing on the outcome. In a like-for-like showdown, the two No. 8s will be keen to run over each other, often. Jasper Wiese is still too much of a liability to be a Bok starter in my opinion, but I cannot wait to see him run at Owen Farrell. Billy Vunipola on the other side will still be smarting from being run over by Andre Esterhuizen last week and he is a focal point for the Saracens physical challenge. He is sure to run in Ford’s channel all day.
In the backlines you can’t really look further than the matchup between Farrell and Ford, both so crucial to their side’s fortunes. Ford has a tendency to go missing in big games and he is bound to be targeted from the first whistle. When things don’t go Farrell’s way he is liable to lose it with the referee and his teammates. It may be trite but whoever gets the better of this exchange will win the title.
Saracens’s constant haranguing of the referee and the hollering and elaborate celebrating of simple turnovers would drive any opposition to distraction. If Wiese knocks on early, we could be in for fireworks! A lucrative spread betting market could be the amount of times Nick Tompkins runs into the forwards to push an opposition player in celebration when Saracens win scrum penalties. He should get them out of his system now because he wont be doing any of this in July for Wales!
Leicester should have far more supporters in the crowd at Twickenham on Saturday than Saracens (the Manchester City of the Premiership). The Tigers are massive underdogs but they do have a knack of getting over the line this season. Whatever happens, it is bound to be a grand occasion in south-west London, let’s just hope the Tigers can live up to their name and produce an energetic display for the full 80 minutes and upset Itoje et al.
Saracens by 6 (unfortunately)