Saracens climb into top four with win over Harlequins in McCall’s home farewell

Saracens beat Harlequins 26-12 to enter the top four of the Prem for the first time this season

Not exactly a blaze of glory to send off Mark McCall on his last home match, but to win a good old-fashioned London scrap in such a way will no doubt be its own source of satisfaction. All the more so in that it means Saracens attain the top four for the first time since October with one round to play. All the more so given the bonus point that looked for 75 minutes as if it were a distant luxury.

Two tries in a crazy last few minutes meant one of those accrued too, to make the sweltering afternoon perfect, if not quite glorious. Theo Dan steered an attacking lineout over the line with the clock in the red to set off the faithful of a sold-out crowd with the final delirium of knowing they have two points’ grace over Exeter, who play at Leicester tomorrow.

Whatever the result there, the final playoff spot will boil down to next Saturday’s match at Sandy Park, where the Chiefs will host Saracens. Winner goes through, simple as that.

Saracens, we are used to saying, will love nothing more. But this is not quite the outfit that has seen McCall through those 17 glorious years. True, they never looked as if they were going to lose; true, the manner in which they did what they had to, right when it mattered, also had a familiar ring. But previous iterations, you feel, would have put this Quins team to the sword well before the final minute.

Owen Farrell was brought on for the last quarter and played his role in closing out the game. He missed a longish penalty with the margin five points and a little more than 10 minutes to play. But he played his part in the try that secured the win with three minutes to play, hitting a fine line off Nathan Michelow, before Olly Hartley’s carry and offload sent Nick Tompkins to the line.

Still a few minutes to claim that fourth, but in between Quins, against all odds, snatched their second try, Cameron Anderson crossing on the right after pressure down the left. All Quins had to do to deny Sarries the extra point was secure the restart, but they were harried into touch, from where the hosts set up that lineout and drive.

It was Saracens’ set piece that ruled throughout, but especially in the first half, during which the hosts opened a workmanlike 12-0 lead. They had a penalty try within 10 minutes, the Sarries scrum ploughing through Quins, even more decisively that it would generally each time that set piece convened. Chandler Cunningham-South conceded a penalty try in the carnage that followed and was sent to the bin.

Saracens Malins; Caluori (J Bracken 66), Tompkins, Hartley, Elliott; Burke (Farrell 58), C Bracken (Van Zyl 69); Mawi (Carré 54), George (Dan 58), Street (Clarey 54), Itoje (capt), Tizard, Isiekwe (McFarland 54), Earl, Willis (Michelow 66). Tries penalty, Malins, Tompkins, Dan. Cons Farrell 2.

Harlequins Benson; Anderson, Kerr (Cleaves 50), Bradley, Murley; Smith, Porter (Townsend 73); Hobson (Wenger 58), Riley (Musk 62), Delgado (Streeter 56), Carr (Driscoll 52), Williams (Green ht), Cunningham-South, Kenningham (Evans 52), Dombrandt (capt). Yellow card Cunningham-South 8. Tries Bradley, Anderson. Con Smith.

Referee Luke Pearce.

Saracens enjoyed a surfeit of possession and worked a few nice moves, but none of it quite hurting. They had to wait till the 25th minute for their second and this was a lovely score.

It started ferociously with Tom Willis, obviously, scattering a few, then the sweetest of hands from Burke and Tompkins set Ben Earl free down the right. He had Noah Caluori outside him, which equals try, but chose to turn it inside to Max Malins, which did the same.

Quins had their moments with ball in hand, as ever. Marcus Smith’s break from a scrum on the half-hour was electric, but Alex Dombrandt’s subsequent touchdown was ruled out for crossing. But the visitors managed to wrest back some control after the break. As the game entered its final quarter, they made it tell.

It came from a lineout, this one of no obvious threat, inside their own half, but Will Evans found a gap through the middle of it and was away. He found Bryn Bradley outside him and no one was stopping the big centre on his charge to the line.

That pulled Quins back to within five with further mischief on their mind. But the Saracens of McCall have long known how to secure the points needed and that they did.

“It feels as if so much has happened in the last 17 years,” said McCall. “And it has. But it also feels like it’s gone in the blink of an eye. I’m lucky I ended up here when I did. There’s quite a lot of our staff and our playing group that I’ve spent my last 17 years with. They’re a brilliant group and I’m very lucky to have finished up here.”

One last push to come.