On the day Saracens announced the latest blow for England with the loss of Owen Farrell, they duly gave English rugby the sort of fillip only they are qualified to administer. A bonus-point win at home to Glasgow means Saracens qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup as unbeaten top seeds. And the form of their remaining England players is cause for celebration, never more so when three of them, forwards all, combined sweetly with an Aussie to score the bonus-point fourth, Maro Itoje galloping clear to claim the try and the man-of-the-match award.
“It’s been a really good squad effort,” said their director of rugby, Mark McCall. “We’ve won games, including all three away, without some big names. To get 28 points [out of 30] in a competition like this is a big achievement.”
England causes for optimism extended beyond the form of the rampaging Itoje. Billy Vunipola scored the second try himself through sheer power and supplied the lovely pass that sparked Itoje’s, who was released by further contributions from Jamie George and Will Skelton. All of which might make one think this was one-sided. Far from it, Glasgow played a full part in an invigorating encounter that featured six tries in the first half-hour.
The Warriors will rue their inability to score a point in the second half, but they came away with a few concerns for their national team too. Jonny Gray did not emerge for the second half, having lost power in his troublesome shoulder midway through the first. Ryan Wilson, the Glasgow captain, followed him with a similar complaint early in the second.
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Some of the edge had been taken off the game by the result from Edinburgh the night before. Saracens were already through to the quarter-finals, and Glasgow were ushered through to join them by Montpellier’s Friday defeat to Edinburgh, who also progress. Two Scottish quarter-finalists, new territory for rugby north of the border, and don’t they play as if they know it. Few come to north London and play with as much confidence as Glasgow did here, particularly in the first half, despite a 10-point deficit after only eight minutes, despite Saracens’ three tries in the first half-hour.
Glasgow scored three in that time as well. Indeed, they had their three first, Wilson’s superb effort after Tommy Seymour had carried close earning Glasgow the lead for the second time in the match.
The fear had been that Saracens might cut loose with neither side needing to win, and all the more so when Ben Spencer was on David Strettle’s shoulder after the latter had run through Adam Hastings and Grant Stewart with unseemly ease. Spencer’s boot accounted for Saracens’ other five points.
No matter, Glasgow have the capacity to score at will. Ali Price is deadly round the fringes. A half-chargedown of Spencer’s box kick by Rob Harley landed in his hands and off he went to the tryline through a stunned home defence. Further shock was delivered four minutes later with the best try of the lot. Sam Johnson’s pass to bypass the Saracens defence was one for the ages, and Stuart Hogg put Seymour away. Hastings’s conversion earned the visitors their first lead after only a quarter of an hour.
Vincent Koch was driven over four minutes later again, before Wilson’s fine try earned Glasgow their second lead. Saracens replied when George Kruis burst on to a pass and went round Hogg as if he were not a Lions full-back at all. Hastings managed to knock the ball out of his hand as he went to touch down, but Vunipola burst through Hastings and Chris Fusaro from the base of the subsequent scrum. Thus both sides went into the break on the verge of a bonus point.
We had to wait till 10 minutes from time for Itoje to secure it for Saracens. Then, at the death, Skelton battered over for a fifth. Saracens finished as they had started – in the ascendancy. The best teams tend to do that.