RUGBY UNION - ENGLISH LEAGUE AND CUP
2020/21 TO 2024/25
2020/21
Premiership Regular Season - Gloucester (14) @ (16) Bath - The intense "West Country" derby ended in the home sides favour, as both sides finished with 14 men. Both teams had a man sent off for a high tackle (Gloucester in the 8 minute, Bath in the 51st minute) and the game remained tight as a result. Bottom-of-the-table Gloucester held a 14-13 lead with 2 minutes to play but gave away a penalty that Bath's Rhys Priestland coolly converted to give Bath the win. The Bath try came from Taulupe Faletau. The Gloucester try came from Lewis Ludlow. Gloucester also featured Louis Rees-Zammit (9, 1 hour 12 minutes hi-lites, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Eykyn/Dallaglio/Monye, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Harlequins (33) @ (35) Bristol Bears - #1 Bristol beat #3 Harlequins in a shootout at Ashton Gate, needing a last play conversion to win the game. Bristol were at their very best in the 1st half, and took a 21-17 lead in at the half, but 'Quins fought back with 16 unanswered points in the 2nd half to take a 12 point lead with only 13 minutes to play. The league leaders then scored 13 unanswered points of their own and won the game with a try and a conversion with the clock deep into the red at the end of the game. The Bristol tries came from Dave Attwood, Fitz Harding, Piers O'Connor, Kyle Sinckler and a penalty try, with Callum Sheedy kicking 4 conversions. Bristol also featured a great game from Semi Radradra. The Harlequins tries came from Joe Marchant, a penalty try and Danny Care, with Care also adding a drop goal. Marcus Smith kicked 2 conversions and 3 penalties (9, 1st half upto 32:42 taken from an edited next-day re-broadcast - Rest of the game live, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Dallaglio/Monye, PAL)
Premiership Semi-Final - Harlequins (43) @ (36) Bristol Bears - In arguably the greatest Premiership game ever, Harlequins booked a place in their 2nd Premiership Final with an historic comeback at Ashton Gate against the regular season table-toppers. Bristol exploded out of the blocks and led 28-0 after just 30 minutes. But 'Quins suddenly caught fire and scored 24 unanswered points either side of half-time to pull themselves back in the game. With 5 minutes left the comeback was complete as the 'Quins scored the game-tieing try that forced extra-time. The teams traded a try each before Harlequins snatched the win with a last-play try that booked their place in the final. The Harlequins tries came from Alex Dombrandt, Tyrone Green (2), James Chisholm, Louis Lynagh and Joe Marchant (2). The Bristol tries came from Ben Earl, Max Malins (3), Luke Morahan and Harry Randall (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Monye/Dallaglio, PAL)
Premiership Semi-Final - Sale Sharks (30) @ (40) Exeter Chiefs - Reigning champions Exeter reached their 6th straight Premiership final with a hard-fought win over Sale at Sandy Park. The Chiefs started fast and ran out to a 22-13 lead at the half and a rout seemed on the cards. But the Sharks kept fighting back and traded points with the Chiefs to the end, although the deficit was just too much to make up, and Exeter claimed the win and booked their place in the Final. The Exeter tries came from Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tom O'Flaherty, Jack Nowell (2) and Alex Cuthbert. The Sale tries came from Rohan Janse van Rensburg (2) and Dan du Preez with Rob du Preez kicking 13 points (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mullins/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Final - Exeter Chiefs (38) v (40) Harlequins - In arguably the greatest Premiership Final, Harlequins completed their sensational run through the post-season with a spectacular win against the reigning Champions at Twickenham. The win gave the 'Quins their 2nd Premiership title. A tight 1st half ebbed-and-flowed with the 'Quins holding a slim 19-14 lead at the break. But the Chiefs had the better of the 2nd half and led by 5 points with 15 minutes to go and looked on course for a 2nd straight title. That was when Harlequins made their move, scoring 2 unanswered tries from Louis Lynagh, son of Aussie legend Michael, to move ahead and, despite a last minute try by the Chiefs, they held on for the emotional win. The Harlequins tries came from Wilco Louw, Alex Dombrandt, Andre Esterhuizen, Louis Lynagh (2) and a penalty try. The Exeter tries came from Jonny Gray, Alec Hepburn, Sam Simmonds, Ollie Devoto and Stuart Hogg (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Championship Final 2nd Leg - Ealing Trailfinders (15) @ (57) Saracens - At the first time of asking, Saracens returned to the Premiership with a resounding win over the Trailfinders at the StoneX Stadium. The team to be promoted was decided by who scored the mpost points over a 2-legged final, and with Saracens holding a 60-0 lead after the 1st leg, promotion seemed assured. But Ealing made a game of it, and were tied 10-10 at the half-time break. The 2nd half was all Saracens, though, as they scored 47 unanswered points to break open the game and secure promotion. Saracens featured 5 British & Irish Lions (Owen Farrell, Mako Vunipola, Maro Itoje, Elliot Daly and Jamie George) + Billy Vunipola. Saracens tries came from Mako Vunipola, Vincent Koch, Elliot Daly, Jamie George, Nick Tompkins, Alex Lewington, Tom Whiteley and a Penalty try. The Ealing tries came from Jordan Burns and a Penalty try (9, Next day re-broadcast - 1 hour 30 minutes hi-lites, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Mullins/Kay, PAL)
2021/22
Premiership Regular Season - Saracens (26) @ (9) Bristol - Saracens celebrated their return to the Premiership with a season-opening win. After spending a year in the Championship as a penalty for salary-cap breaches, Saracens announced their return with a typical Saracens win ; hard-nosed Defense and relentless Offense. The star for the visitors was Alex Lozowski who kicked 7 penalties for 21 points. Saracens were missing Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Jamie George, who were resting after the British Lions tour. The Saracens try came from Alex Lewington. All the Bristol points came from 3 penalties from Callum Sheedy (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mullins/Dallaglio/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Newcastle (23) @ (37) Saracens - In their first home game since winning promotion back to the Premiership, Saracens battled back from an early deficit to claim a bonus-point win. The Falcons took a 17-3 lead in the 1st half before Saracens fought back, pulling away in the 2nd half to inflict on Newcastle their 22nd straight loss in the rivalry. The Saracens tries came from Jamie George, Mako Vunipola and Billy Vunipola and a penalty try. The Newcastle tries came from Mike Brown (on his club debut) and Ben Stevenson (9, Next day re-broadcast - 1 hour 12 minutes hi-lites, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Mullins/Dallaglio/O'Driscoll, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Saracens (12) @ (13) Leicester Tigers - In a dramatic finish at Welford Road, Leicester beat Saracens for the first time at home in 5 attempts. In terrible conditions as the rain fell and the wind blew, Saracens handled the weather the better and took a 9-3 lead in at the half. They extended the lead to 12-3 early in the 2nd half, but then Leicester went on a charge and scored 10 unanswered points, including the game-winning penalty try with the last move of the match, to win the game in front of a raucous crowd. The other Leicester points came from the boot of George Ford (2 penalties). All the Saracens points came from the boot of Owen Farrell (4 penalties) (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mullins/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Saracens (71) @ (17) Bath - Bottom side Bath ran into an in-form Saracens team at the Recreation Ground, as the visitors scored 10 tries in a comfortable win. Saracens raced out to a 45-0 lead at the half and cruised home. It was only the 2nd time Saracens had scored more than 70 points. The Saracens tries came from Maro Itoje, Max Malins (3), Jamie George (2), Ben Earl, Eroni Mawi, Rotimi Segun and Dom Morris. The Bath tries came from Tom De Glanville, Tom Ellis and Will Muir (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Dallaglio/May, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Wasps (15) @ (56) Saracens - At the StoneX Stadium, Saracens ruthlessly dispatched an ailing Wasps team to move up to 3rd in the table. The visiting Wasps, already missing 16 players to injury, lost 3 more players to injury in the 1st half, and Saracens took advantage, running in 8 tries. The Saracens tries came from Jamie George, Max Malins (4), Billy Vunipola, Alex Lozowski and Ben Earl. The Wasps tries came from Jimmy Gopperth, who had a great game trying to hold the Wasps together, and Zach Kibirige (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Kay/Care, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Saracens (29) @ (22) Harlequins - In a game of 2 halves, Saracens staged a 2nd half comeback to inflict on Harlequins their first home defeat of the season. The hosts dominated the 1st half, and went in at the break with a 19-9 lead. But the 2nd half belonged to the visitors as they out-scored Harlequins 20-3, scoring the game-winning try with 3 minutes to play. The Saracens tries came from Dom Morris and Jackson Wray with Alex Lozowski kicking 19 points. The Harlequins tries came from Hugh Tizard, Cadan Murley and Tyrone Green. Both teams were missing their England stars who were on international duty (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mullins/Dallaglio/Monye, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Sale Sharks (14) @ (25) Saracens - At the StoneX Stadium, Saracens dominated Sale to move into 2nd in the League. The visiting Sharks had a terrible 1st half, losing captain Jono Ross to injury and going in at the break 13-0 down. Any chance of a comeback ended when the Sharks also had a man sent off in the 2nd half, and Saracens coasted home. The Saracens tries came from Vincent Koch, Alex Maitland and Max Malins with Alex Lozowksi kicking 10 points in Owen Farrell's absence due to injury. Billy Vunipola had a big game in his return from injury. The Sale tries came from Ben Curry and Raffi Quirke (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Leicester Tigers (26) @ (35) Sale Sharks - Sale upset league-leaders Leicester at the AJ Bell Stadium, staging a huge comeback to win the game. Leicester led 21-5 early in the 2nd half before Sale scored 3 unanswered tries to claw their way back into the game, and they sensationally capped it all off by scoring 10 points in the final 6 minutes for the win. The Sale tries came from Luke James, Ben Curry, Arron Reed, Dan Du Preez and Tom Roebuck. The Leicester tries came from Julian Montoya and Guy Porter with Freddie Burns kicking 9 points (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mullins/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Leicester Tigers (27) @ (34) Saracens - Saracens, who were missing their England players, moved up to 2nd place in the Premiership with a tight home win over league-leaders Leicester. After conceding an early try, Saracens scored 3 unanswered tries to take a 9-point lead in at the break that proved too big for the Tigers to overcome in the 2nd half. The Saracens tries came from Tom Woolstencroft (2), Alex Lewington, Sean Maitland and Vincent Koch. The Leicester tries came from Eli Snyman, Nic Dolly, Ollie Chessum with George Ford kicking 12 points (9, Partial Post-Game, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Dallaglio/Care, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Saracens (27) v (23) Bristol Bears - At the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, #2 Saracens heaped a little more misery on struggling Bristol, holding on at the death to take the win. Saracens welcomed back their England players but the Bears played them tough, and could have won the game on the final play, but a final pass at the goal-line went forward and the try was wiped off. The Saracens tries came from Max Malins (2), Elliot Daly with Owen Farrell kicking 12 points. The Bristol tries came from Antoine Frisch, Piers O'Conor and Tiff Eden (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Dallaglio/Goode, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Northampton Saints (38) @ (42) Saracens - #2 Saracens secured a home Premiership semi-final with a high-scoring win over the Saints at StoneX Stadium. A tight 1st half ended with the Saints holding a slim 10-9 lead, but Saracens scored 3 unanswered tries after the break to take a 28-10 lead then held off a spirited Saints comeback to secure the win. The Saracens tries came from Nick Tompkins, Alex Lewington, Alex Goode and Theo McFarland (2) with Owen Farrell kicking 15 points. The Northampton tries came from Tommy Freeman, Rory Hutchinson, Tom James (2) and Matt Proctor (9, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Eykyn/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Leicester Tigers (20) @ (26) Harlequins - In a game of high quality at the Stoop, Harlequins took a big step towards the play-offs by inflicting just a fourth defeat of the season on #1 Leicester. The teams combined for 6 tries. The game ebbed-and-flowed and, with 8 minutes to play the Tigers held a 20-18 lead, but Harlequins scored 8 unanswered points to take the win and move up to 2nd place in the table. The Harlequins tries came from Will Collier, Cadan Murley and Andre Esterhuizen with Marcus Smith adding 11 points with the boot. The Leicester tries came from Nemani Nadolo, Hanro Liebenberg and Jasper Wiese (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mullins/Dallaglio/Monye, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Exeter Chiefs (22) @ (38) Saracens - Saracens clinched a place in the Premiership play-offs with a big 2nd half display at StoneX Stadium that effectively ended Exeter's post-season aspirations. Exeter made a mockery of their recent form to take a 15-10 lead in at half-time, but Saracens scored 28 unanswered points in the 2nd half to blow away the Chiefs and they coasted home to the win. The Saracens tries came from Elliot Daly, Sean Maitland, Nick Tompkins and Ben Earl with Owen Farrell adding 18 points with the boot. The Exeter tries came from Sam Skinner, Olly Woodburn and Stuart Townsend (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Dallaglio/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Semi-Final - Harlequins (17) @ (34) Saracens - In a London derby full of niggle, Saracens overcame Harlequins to reach their first Premiership Final since 2019. Quins started the better and scored the opening 2 tries, but Saracens fought back to take a 15-12 lead in at the half. The 2nd half belonged to Saracens, though. They scored straight after the re-start then used great Defense to keep the Quins at arms length the rest of the way to take the win. The Saracens tries came from Ben Earl (3), Nick Tompkins and Aled Davies. The Harlequins tries came from Alex Dombrandt, Danny Care and Cadan Murley (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Kay/Monye, PAL)
Premiership Final - Leicester Tigers (15) v (12) Saracens - In a sensational finish at Twickenham, Leicester completed their journey from worst to first with their first Premiership title in 9 years. In 2020 Leicester finished bottom of the Premiership and only avoided relegation as Saracens were relegated in their place due to the salary cap infringements. The Tigers put in place a great game-plan to beat Saracens, but were tied at 12-12 as the game entered the final minute. Leicester drove downfield into drop-goal range and with the last kick of the game, Freddie Burns kicked a 25 metre drop-goal to win the title. The Leicester tries came from Hanro Liebenberg and Jasper Wiese. All the Saracens points came from the boot of Owen Farrell (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mullins/Kay/Healey, PAL)
2022/23
Premiership Regular Season Round 2 - Saracens (30) @ (27) Harlequins - In their opening game of the season, Saracens battled back from 17-0 deficit to beat Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop. Quins had the better of the 1st half, and took a 24-12 lead in at the half, but Saracens out-scored Quins 18-3 in the 2nd half to take the win. The Saracens tries came from Elliot Daly, Max Malins (2) and Nick Tompkins. The Harlequins tries came from Cadan Murley (2) and Joe Marchant (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Dallaglio/Monye, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 4 - Leicester Tigers (18) @ (51) Saracens - A re-match of the 2021-22 Premiership went the way of the Saracens, as they dominated the Tigers at the StoneX Stadium. The home side used a great attacking gameplan to run out to a 27-13 lead at the half, then used a big defensive effort in the 2nd half to shut-down the Tigers and take the win. The Saracens tries came from Alex Lozowski, Ben Earl, Max Malins, Ivan Van Zyl, Elliot Daly, Sean Maitland and Theo McFarland who had a huge game. The Leicester tries came from James Cronin and Freddie Steward (9, No Pre-Game, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Kay/Monye, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 7 - Saracens (22) @ (20) Exeter Chiefs - At a rainy Sandy Park, Saracens remained unbeaten on the season with a last play Penalty to win the game. Both sides were evenly matched throughout, but in the end the Saracens stout Defense and opportunistic Offense saw them win the game. Exeter dominated the 1st half but the sides went in at the break tied at 10-10. The 2nd half ebbed-and-flowed and Saracens found themselves 20-19 behind in the final minute, but they won a scrum penalty and with the last play of the game, Alex Goode, in his 338th game for the club, kicked the game-winning penalty to take the win. The Saracens try came from Theo McFarland. The Exeter tries came from Jacques Vermeulen and a Penalty try (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mullins/Kay/O'Driscoll, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 10 - Northampton Saints (39) @ (45) Saracens - #1 Saracens stunned #4 Northampton at the StoneX Stadium to win the game and their 9th match in a row to start the season. Both sides were missing their international stars but still put together a hard-fought match. The Saints ran out to a 39-17 lead after an hour before Saracens suddenly clicked into gear and rattled off 32 unanswered points to snatch the win. The Saracens comeback was driven by back-rower Ben Earl, who had a great game. The Saracens tries came from Sean Maitland (2), Gareth Simpson, Josh Hallett, Ben Earl and Elliot Daly. The Northampton tries came from Mike Haywood, Fraser Dingwall (3) and Courtnall Skosan (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mullins/Monye/Kay, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 17 - Saracens (18) @ (24) Leicester Tigers - #8 Leicester inflicted on #1 Saracens their 2nd loss of the season with a big all-round performance at Welford Road. Both sides were missing their international players. The Tigers were on fire in the opening half hour and scored 3 tries. Saracens fought back in the 2nd half to close the gap to 6 points, but the Tigers put in a big Defensive stand late in the game to claim the win. The Leicester tries came from Handre Pollard, Cameron Henderson and man-of-the-match Mike Brown, who was making his debut for the Tigers. The Saracens tries came from Eroni Mawi and Alex Lewington (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 21 - Saracens (36) v (24) Harlequins - In front of 55,000 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, #1 Saracens beat #8 Harlequins to secure home advantage in the Premiership semi-finals. Saracens survived an early score from 'Quins to score 22 unanswered points and take a big lead that they easily defended to the end. The Saracens tries came from Alex Lozowski, Nick Tompkins, Andy Christie, Sean Maitland and Maro Itoje. The Harlequins tries came from Alex Dombrandt, Caden Murley (2) and Joe Marchant (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season - Sale Sharks (22) @ (33) Saracens - Saracens Alex Goode marked his record-breaking 339th game with a 12-point haul as #1 Saracens held off #2 Sale at the StoneX Stadium to continue their unbeaten start to the season. After starting slowly and going 15-5 down in the 1st half, Saracens found their feet and went in at the break with an 18-15 lead. After scoring early in the 2nd half to extend their lead, Saracens played great Defense to see out the game and take the win. The Saracens tries came from Alex Goode, Theo McFarland, Ben Earl and Nick Tompkins. The Sale tries came from Ben Curry, Joe Carpenter and a penalty try (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Semi-Final - Leicester Tigers (13) @ (21) Sale Sharks - At a raucous AJ Bell Stadium, Sale upset the holders Leicester to book a place in their first Premiership final since 2006. A very physical 1st half saw both teams suffer injuries and it led to the Sharks taking a slim 7-6 lead in at the break. The Tigers went ahead in the 2nd half, but the Sharks scored the final 11 points of the game to upset the holders and book their place at Twickenham. The Sale tries came from Tom Roebuck and Arron Reed with George Ford kicking 11 points. The Leicester try came from Harry Potter with Jimmy Gopperth kicking 8 points (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Eykyn/Kay/Monye, PAL)
Premiership Semi-Final - Northampton Saints (15) @ (38) Saracens - Saracens booked a place in their 7th Premiership final in 10 years with a 5-try win over the Saints at the StoneX Stadium. Saracens dominated the 1st half and comfortably led 21-3 at the break. The Saints fought back in the 2nd half with 2 tries, but Saracens countered with 2 tries of their own to steady the ship and easily saw out the game. The Saracens tries came from Sean Maitland (2), Ivan Van Zyl, Max Malins and a penalty try with Owen Farrell kicking 11 points. The Northampton tries came from Alex Mitchell and James Ramm (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mullins/Dallaglio/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Final - Saracens (35) v (25) Sale Sharks - On a red-hot day at Twickenham, Saracens won their 6th Premiership title, and their first in 4 years, with a hard-fought win over Sale. The win completed their return to the top of the tree 3 years after they were relegated from the Premiership. Both teams were evenly matched in the 1st half with Saracens taking a slim 20-13 lead in at the half, but Saracens pulled away late with 2 tries to seal the win. The Saracens tries came from Max Malins, Elliot Daly, Ivan Van Zyl and a Penalty try with Owen Farrell kicking 13 points. The Sale tries came from Akker Van der Merwe, Tom Roebuck and Bevan Rodd with George Ford kicking 10 points (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mullins/Kay/Healey, PAL)
2023/24
Premiership Regular Season Round 4 - Leicester (17) @ (32) Saracens - Saracens welcomed back their England players after the World Cup (Maro Itoje, Billy Vunipola, Jamie George, captain Owen Farrell, Ben Earl and Elliot Daly) and they played their part in securing a much-needed win at the StoneX Stadium. Conversely, Leicester rested their World Cup stars (Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, George Martin, Freddie Steward and Ben Youngs). Saracens ran out to a 14-3 lead at the half, and 2 more tries after the break sealed the win. The Saracens tries came from Maro Itoje, Andy Christie, Billy Vunipola and Jamie George with Owen Farrell kicking 12 points. The Leicester tries came from Tom Whiteley and Jamie Shillcock (9, 2 Discs, TNT Sports - Mullins/Flatman/Monye, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 6 - Saracens (38) @ (10) Harlequins - Saracens dramatically ended Harlequins 4-game winning streak with a huge win at the Stoop. After conceding an early penalty, Saracens responded with 38 unanswered points to take the victory. With the win, Saracens moved into 3rd place in the league. The Saracens tries came from Juan Martin Gonzalez, Olly Hartley, Jamie George, Andy Christie, Tom Parton and Alex Lewington. The Harlequins try came from Andre Esterhuizen (9, 2 Discs, TNT Sports - Thomas/Flatman/O'Driscoll, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 12 - Bath (44) @ (57) Bristol Bears - In a shootout at Ashton Gate, Bristol beat their West-Country neighbours, holding on at the death to beat Bath. Both teams combined for 14 tries and 903 metres made. The Bears had the better of the 1st half and took a 33-15 lead in at the half. But Bath used ill-discipline by the hosts to fight back and pull within a try before a a final play intercept try sealed the win for Bristol. The Bristol tries came from Will Capon, Joe Batley, AJ MacGinty, Noah Heward, James Williams, Fitz Harding, Magnus Bradbury and Rich Lane. The Bath tries came from Joe Cokanasiga, Tom Dunn, Tom De Glanville, Jaco Coetzee, Thomas Du Toit and a Penalty Try, with Finn Russell adding 12 points with the boot (9, 46 minutes Hi-Lites, 1 Disc, TNT Sports - Eykyn/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 12 - Exeter Chiefs (22) @ (40) Saracens - In his first game since announcing he was leaving Saracens to join French side Racing 92, Owen Farrell led Saracens to a big win over Exeter at the StoneX Stadium. The sides were evenly matched in the 1st half, and went in at the break ties 15-15. The 2nd half belonged to Saracens,though, and they out-scored the Chiefs 25-7 to win the game. The Saracens tries came from James Hadfield (2), Ivan van Zyl, Juan-Martin Gonzalez and Theo McFarland with Owen Farrell kicking 15 points. The Exeter tries came from Olly Woodburn, Greg Fisilau and a sensational try from Rus Tuima (9, 2 Discs, TNT Sports - Mullins/Dallaglio/Goode, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 13 - Harlequins (7) v (52) Saracens - In front of 61,000 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, #3 Saracens celebrated captain Owen Farrell's 250th game for the club with a big win over #2 Harlequins. Saracens jumped on Harlequins early and ran out to a 24-0 lead at the half. 4 more tries in the 2nd half completed the rout. The Saracens tries came from Alex Lewington, Theo Dan (2), Sean Maitland (2), Lucio Cinti, Juan Martin Gonzalez and Alex Goode with Owen Farrell kicking 12 points. The Harlequins try came from Alex Dombrandt (9, 2 Discs, TNT Sports - Mullins/Dallaglio/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 14 - Saracens (20) @ (41) Northampton Saints - #1 Northampton put in their best game of the season to beat #3 Saracens at Franklin Gardens. The Saints, with the backing of a raucous home crowd, ran out to an early 17-0 lead before Saracens attempted a comeback. But the visitors couldn't get any closer than 4 points and the Saints eased away for the win. The Northampton tries came from Alex Coles, James Ramm (2), Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme. The Saracens tries came from Theo McFarland, Ben Earl and Alex Lewington (2) with Owen Farrell adding 10 points with the boot (9, 2 Discs, TNT Sports - Mullins/Dallaglio/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 16 - Saracens (15) @ (12) Bath - #3 Saracens overcame a physical game from #2 Bath at the Recreation Ground to move into 2nd place in the table. A kick-heavy 1st half ended with Saracens holding a 12-0 lead but Bath turned the game around in the 2nd Half with 12 unanswered points of their own to level the game. The match was decided with 3 minutes to play when Saracens Owen Farrell kicked a penalty and the visitors held on for the win. The Saracen tries came from Tom Parton and Rotimi Segun. The Bath tries came from Thomas du Toit and Cameron Redpath (9, 2 Discs, TNT Sports - Mullins/Dallaglio/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 16 - Northampton Saints (32) @ (41) Harlequins - In a shootout at Twickenham Stadium, Harlequins upset #1 Northampton with a 6-try effort. Both teams were on fire on Offense, and were evenly matched until Harlequins managed to secure a 2-score lead in the final quarter of the game and held on for the win. The Harlequins tries came from Luke Northmore (2), Stephan Lewies, Cade Murley and Will Porter (2) with Marcus Smith kicking 6 points. The Northampton tries came from Ollie Sleightholme, James Ramm, Tom Litchfield and Courtney Lawes with Fin Smith kicking 12 points (9, 43 minutes hi-lites, 1 Disc, TNT Sports - Eykyn/Flatman/O'Driscoll, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 17 - Gloucester (0) @ (90) Northampton Saints - #1 Northampton completely dominated a much-changed Gloucester team to record the highest home-score in Premiership history. Gloucester made 12 changes from their European Challenge Cup semi-final 7 days before the game against Northampton, and the 2nd-stringers were over-run by the league leaders. Northampton led 40-0 at half-time and added 8 more tries in the 2nd half to break the record. The Northampton tries came from Geore Furbank, Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Sleightholme (3), Curtis Langdon (2), Alex Mitchell, Alex Waller, Sam Matavesi (2), Emmanuel Iyogun, Alex Moon and Tom James with Fin Smith kicking 16 points (9, 46 minutes hi-lites, 1 Disc, TNT Sports - Zorab/May, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 17 - Saracens (41) @ (20) Bristol Bears - Saracens booked a place in the Playoffs with a hard-fought win at Ashton Gate against the Bears. After spotting Bristol a 10-point lead, Saracens recovered to go in at the break with a 23-13 lead, and finished off the Bears with 2 late tries to win the game. The Saracens tries came from Maro Itoje (2), Rotimi Segun and Juan Martin Gonzalez with Owen Farrell kicking 5 points. The Bristol tries came from Joe Batley and Harry Thacker (9, 2 Discs, TNT Sports - Eykyn/Flatman/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Regular Season Round 18 - Sale Sharks (20) @ (10) Saracens - In a big upset at the StoneX Stadium, Sale booked a place in the Playoffs with a rare win over #2 Saracens. Sale capitalised on a sloppy Saracens performance to take a 10-3 lead in at the half then a 20-3 lead in the 2nd half. After a raft of substitutions, the home side finally found some fire and closed the gap to 10 points but the Sharks held on for the emotional win. The Sale tries came from Tom Roebuck and Rob du Preez with George Ford kicking 10 points. The Saracens try came from Marco Riccione with Owen Farrell kicking 5 points. The game was the final home game for Owen Farrell, Billy Vunipola and Mako Vunipola before their summer move to France (9, 2 Discs, TNT Sports - Mullins/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Semi-Final - Saracens (20) @ (22) Northampton Saints - Saracens reign as defending Champions ended as #1 Northampton showed why they were #1 with a big win at Franklin Gardens. The Saints had the better of the 1st half and took a 16-6 lead in at the break. Saracens fought back, though, and pulled to within 2 points with 1 minute to play, but the Saints held on to book a place in the Final. The Saints try came from Burger Odendaal with Fin Smith kicking 17 points. The Saracens tries came from Alex Lewington and Lucio Cinti. The game was the final Saracens game for Owen Farrell, Alex Lewington, Sean Maitland, Billy Vunipola and Mako Vunipola (9, 2 Discs, TNT Sports - Eykyn/Kay/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Semi-Final - Sale Sharks (23) @ (31) Bath - In a thrilling win at the Recreation Ground, Bath booked their place in the Final for the first time in 9 years. In 2022 Bath finished bottom of the league but 2 years later they triumphed in a shootout against #3 Sale to win the game and reach the Final. A furious 1st half ended with Bath holding a slim 18-15 lead. Both teams were evenly matched in the 2nd half and it took a try with 7 minutes to go for Bath to forge ahead and they held on for the emotional win. The Bath tries came from Ted Hill, Beno Obano and Niall Annett with Finn Russell kicking 16 points. The Sale tries came from Ben Curry, Tommy Taylor and Tom O'Flaherty with George Ford kicking 8 points (9, 2 Discs, TNT Sports - Mullins/Flatman/Healey, PAL)
Premiership Final - Northampton Saints (25) @ (21) Bath - #1 Northampton won their 1st Premiership title since 2014 with a hard-fought win against #2 Bath at Twickenham. Bath started the better but the game turned in the 21st minute when they had Beno Obano sent off. While Bath tried to re-group the Saints scored 2 tries, but Bath recovered and tied the game up on 66 minutes only for the Saints to win the game with a 77th minute try that earned them the title. The Northampton tries came from Tommy Freeman, Ollie Sleightholme and Alex Mitchell. The Bath tries came from Thomas Du Toit and Will Muir with Finn Russell kicking 11 points. The game proved to be the final game at Northampton captain Courtney Lawes (9, 2 Discs, TNT Sports - Eykyn/Kay/Healey, PAL)
2024/25
Premiership Final - Bath (23) v (21) Leicester Tigers - Bath banished the disappointment of losing the 2024 Final with a hard-fought win over Leicester at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham. The win was Bath's first Premiership title in 29 years. A tight 1st half ended with Bath in front 13-7 and they built the score in the 2nd half to lead 23-14 late in the game. Leicester staged a fight-back, and pulled to within 2 points with 5 minutes to play, but Bath calmly saw out the game to take the win. The Bath tries came from Thomas Du Toit and Max Ojomoh with Finn Russell kicking 13 points. The Leicester tries came from Jack Van Poortvliet, Solomone Kata and Emeka Ilione. The game was also the final game for Leicester's Ben Youngs and Dan Cole (9, No Pre-Game, 2 Discs, TNT - Eykyn/Healey/Kay, PAL)