Saracens alive in Gallagher PREM hunt after win over Harelquins

Mark McCall’s final home match as Saracens boss delivered the victory over Harlequins needed to stay in the hunt for a Gallagher Prem play-off place on the final day of the regular season.

McCall marked his last appearance at StoneX Stadium after 15 trophy-laden years as director of rugby with a 24-12 win that lifts Saracens into the top four for the first time since November.

Their fifth successive league triumph was founded on a penalty try and touch downs from Max Malins, Nick Tompkins and Theo Dan, while departing number eight Tom Willis was a giant in his north London farewell before joining Bordeaux.

But Saracens made the capital derby tenser than it should have been because of a messy third quarter with Tompkins’ 77th-minute strike eventually killing off Quins, who crossed through Bryn Bradley and Cameron Anderson in a strong finish.

McCall’s men now head to Exeter next Saturday knowing that beating their play-off rivals would be enough to guarantee entry into the Prem’s knock out phase, with the Chiefs and Bristol also in contention.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Saracens

26 - 12

Full-time

Harlequins

All Stats and Data

As recently as March McCall said the Prem title had disappeared off the radar in the wake of a chastening 62-15 collapse at Bath, but a first appearance at Twickenham since being crowned English champions 2023 has drawn a step closer.

Quins’ tenacity took the game to the wire, but early on it was all Saracens and in the eighth minute they claimed a penalty try forced when their scrum marched forwards with Chandler Cunningham-South shown a yellow card.

The visitors’ line was almost breached twice more but Quins were hustling to good effect, including when pouncing on opposition mistakes to launch counter-attacks.

Saracens were over again in the 25th minute through Malins, but the try was born out of Willis’ muscular carry that launched a sequence of brilliant offloads with Ben Earl supplying the scoring pass.

There were flashes of danger in Quins’ attack with Marcus Smith tidily directing operations and showing tenacity in the tackle, but they were being outfought in the forwards.

Too many times their visits to the home 22 ended pointless, including during a promising spell early in the second-half, although Saracens were scrambling well and producing big moments when needed in defence.

Hulking centre Olly Hartley flattened Sean Kerr with an enormous hit that ended his victim’s afternoon, but the life was now being sucked out of the game by the number of errors.

Harlequins were refusing to throw in the towel and in the 63rd minute they struck with a line-out break by Will Evans rounded off by Bradley arriving in support.

Owen Farrell missed a long-range penalty but the match ended with a flurry of tries, Tompkins going over to end Quins’ fightback before Anderson and Dan exchanged late touch downs.