Shaky Saracens narrowly avoid Champions Cup shock in London
Saracens returned to the top table of European rugby with a hard-fought 30-26 Heineken Champions Cup win over Edinburgh at a freezing StoneX Stadium.
After missing two years of the competition through suspension, the three-time winners produced a rusty performance and it was not until late on that they were able to subdue a spirited Edinburgh.
Elliot Daly, Alex Lewington, Ben Earl and Tom Woolstencroft scored Saracens’ tries, with Owen Farrell adding two conversions and two penalties.
Luan de Bruin and Wes Goosen touched down for Edinburgh, with Emiliano Boffelli converting both tries and kicking four penalties.
Edinburgh took a fifth-minute lead when prop De Bruin forced his way over from close range but the hosts’ response was quick.
A speculative cross-field chip from Farrell was collected by Daly, who brushed aside a weak tackling attempt from Duhan van der Merwe to score. Farrell converted from the touchline to leave the scores level at the end of an evenly-contested first quarter.
Farrell missed a chance to put Saracens in front as his 45-metre penalty sailed wide with Boffelli then illustrating how it should be done by succeeding with a kick from similar range.
The Scottish side suffered a blow when try-scorer De Bruin was forced to leave the field with a shoulder injury. He was replaced by WP Nel but Edinburgh overcame that setback to extend their lead with another penalty from Boffelli.
From the restart, Edinburgh infringed for their opponents to capitalise when Earl finished off an unstoppable driving line-out.
Farrell’s conversion attempt hit a post before Boffelli kicked his third penalty to leave the visitors with a 16-12 interval lead.
Edinburgh centre Mark Bennett failed an HIA so was unable to return for the start of the second half and the away side soon suffered another blow when they conceded a third try.
A superbly-judged kick ahead from Daly saw Lewington collect and race over in the corner, although Farrell was unable to add the extras as he missed his third kick of the afternoon.
In contrast, Boffelli was on fire with his kicking and succeeded with his fourth penalty to put Edinburgh back in front.
Saracens were continually on the wrong side of Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli, who regularly penalised them at the breakdown and going into the final quarter, they were still trailing 19-17.
A repeat of last season’s European Challenge Cup victory at the StoneX looked a distinct possibility for Edinburgh but Farrell found his kicking boots to succeed with two penalties in quick succession.
The visitors then missed a gilt-edged chance to put Saracens back under pressure with time running out.
Replacement Damien Hoyland intercepted the ball on the halfway line but Daly got back to make his opponent turn inside. Hoyland dithered before passing, with the ball being moved wide where James Lang was held up over the line.
Edinburgh were crestfallen at their failure to score and were made to pay when Woolstencroft scored Saracens’ bonus-point try, with visiting hooker Stuart McNally sin-binned for a deliberate off-side.
Edinburgh would not lie down, though, and a break from Blair Kinghorn creating a try for Goosen before Nel was yellow-carded for a tip tackle, but they were still able to hang on to a deserved bonus point.
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments