Northampton Saints 24-29 Saracens, Aviva Premiership play-offs
Saracens send Saints crashing out of play-offs
ESPN Staff
May 23, 2015
Report Match details
Date/Time: May 23, 2015, 14:00 local, 13:00 GMT
Venue: Franklin's Gardens, Northampton
Northampton Saints 24 - 29 Saracens
Attendance: 13362  Half-time: 13 - 13
Tries: Wood, Penalty
Cons: Myler
Pens: Myler 4
Tries: George, Strettle
Cons: Farrell 2
Pens: Farrell 5
NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - MAY 23: Samu Manoa of Northampton Saints is tackled by Maro Itoje of Saracens during the Aviva Premiership Play Off Semi Final between Northampton Saints and Saracens at Franklin's Gardens on May 23, 2015 in Northampton, England.  (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Samu Manoa collides with Maro Itoje of Saracens
© Getty Images
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Tournaments/Tours: Aviva Premiership

Saracens ended Northampton's Aviva Premiership aspirations as 19 points from the boot of Owen Farrell helped them to a 29-24 victory over the season's long-time leaders at Franklin's Gardens.

David Strettle, who earlier this week made Stuart Lancaster's 50-man training squad for the World Cup, gave Saracens the lead in the second minute with a try, but that was cancelled out by a penalty try before the quarter-hour mark.

Owen Farrell and Stephen Myler traded penalties until the break, with Myler leveling things at 13-13 in added time of the first half.

A Jamie George try on 47 minutes gave Sarries an 18-16 lead, and Farrell extended that with a conversion and a further penalty. Tom Wood's pushover try closed the gap - and also sparked the second fracas of the match - before another Farrell penalty gave Saracens a five-point lead entering the final 15 minutes.

And Farrell's 77th-minute penalty put the icing on the cake and sends Saracens to Twickenham next Saturday. Opportunism enabled Saracens to plunder the opening try just two minutes into the game in a move that started with Duncan Taylor's flicked pass between his legs.

David Strettle gathered and spotting that Tuala was down injured, punted upfield with Taylor the first to arrive. Taylor beat Lee Dickson on the ground and then fed the onrushing Strettle the scoring pass.

Northampton's patience and forward power enabled them to draw level as repeated advances on the whitewash finished with Mako Vunipola in the sin-bin for collapsing the maul and a penalty try awarded by referee Greg Garner.

The pressure continued as Saracens were driven back at the scrum and Dickson, Dylan Hartley and Samu Manoa carried with intent before scrambling defence prevented Saints from scoring a second try.

When Mako Vunipola returned, last season's beaten Premiership finalists had weathered the storm and once the omnipresent Bill Vunipola won a penalty, Farrell kicked his team back into the lead.

Myler and Farrell swapped penalties, but the second quarter belonged to resurgent Saracens with back rows Maro Itoje and Billy Vunipola leading the charge.

But four minutes into first-half injury-time Myler levelled again from in front of the posts with man of the match Jacques Burger repeatedly involved at key moments.

First he conceded a penalty for tackling Courtney Lawes around the throat, then he drilled Ken Pisi into the turf before finally shoving Dickson in the throat, sparking a melee that ended with Myler landing three points.

Saints used their driving maul to give Myler another shot at goal that the fly-half successfully completed, but Saracens' response was to surge forward from an attacking line-out and drive over with George emerging from the heap of bodies with the ball.

Farrell converted and landed a third penalty as daylight opened up between the rivals, but in the 58th minute the pendulum swung yet again when the champions advanced from a line-out once more with Wood barrelling over.

The tension continued right until the final whistle as Myler booted a late penalty to give Saints hope of snatching victory if they could break through from an injury-time assault, but Saracens' defence was outstanding.

Jamie Elliott of Northampton breaks with the ball © Getty Images
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