Saracens, crowned European champions two weeks ago, looked in total control when they led 23-6 at halftime after tries by Duncan Taylor and Chris Wyles and three penalties and two conversions by Owen Farrell rewarded their territorial dominance. It is first versus second, they have had a fantastic season in Europe and, if you are going to play in a final and if it is worth winning, it is worth having it against a team like Saracens.
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“As long as we’re there, we’ve got a shot”, said Henry Slade, the Exeter and England centre, after their 34-23 semi-final win over Wasps.
Man of the match and Premiership player of the season Goode savoured the “perfect” end to the campaign.
“It’s really frightful for someone like “Tank” especially, who puts so much time and emotion into the team and you can see that by the way he plays”, said Armand, who has been called into England’s backup Saxons side.
“We all very much feel for Thomas because he has been a driving force for us for a couple of seasons and is a big part of what we are about as a club”, Exeter coach said Rob Baxter told the Telegraph newspaper. “To do it with such an incredible group is a flawless way to end the season”. “In the 32 games we’ve played this year we’ve show a consistency in our approach, we’ve fronted up day in day out, week in week out”.
In defence, Saracens deployed their aggressive up-and-in blitz, and when they had the ball in hand they kept Exeter guessing with the Vunipola brothers throwing passes that were so hard to read, directly behind the ball-carrier.
For two teams who have such effective packs it may seem an odd suggestion, but the battle between the two full-backs will undoubtedly have a significant say on how this game unfolds.
Wyles was the beneficiary this time, again down the left, as he slipped out of Nowell’s tackle, got back to his feet and raced over for Sarries’ second score.
Another Chiefs rolling maul went close before the hour mark but Saracens finally relieved some pressure with a scrum penalty and as the clocked ticked past 60 minutes they remained ten points ahead.
Launched in the 2008-09 season, the Land Rover Rugby Cup is the first national grassroots tournament officiated by Premiership Rugby and run in conjunction with all 12 clubs. Now we’ve experienced this and we’re going to want a wee bit more of it.
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Speaking of tempo, Leinster can not be afraid to take tempo out of the game at the right times and make it a more staccato affair.
