European Rugby Champions Cup
Itoje's star continues to rise with Saracens having look of European champions
Tom Hamilton
April 23, 2016
Maro Itoje
Maro Itoje© David Rogers/Getty Images

READING -- This was a semifinal that came a year early in Wasps' evolution. Saracens know what it takes to win at this level of European rugby, they have endured disappointment and joy and when it came down to the will of strength over the mind, they just too had too much physicality and a better awareness of what it takes to close out this match than Wasps.

Sheer bloody-mindedness and a lack of regard for self-preservation ran through the lifeblood of this game. When the full-time whistle blew, Joe Launchbury and Charles Piutau slumped to the floor while Saracens flanker Will Fraser launched a guttural roar of relief. Players were exhausted, exhilarated, distraught.

The two hammer blows came in the first 10 minutes of the second half. First Mako Vunipola forced a turnover and Owen Farrell kicked the resulting penalty, then moments later Maro Itoje won a penalty and Farrell added another. The seven-point lead was established and Saracens never lost it. They have worked out the art of being the leader rather than the chaser with Itoje's star continuing to rise.

Itoje was heroic for Saracens. Whenever you watch him play, you can't help but wonder just how good he will end up being. The alarming statistic that he has lost just one game of rugby this season is testament not only to Saracens but also to Itoje. Winning is in his DNA and so is a remarkable ability to play the game as he showcased at the Madejski Stadium.

He disrupted Wasps' lineout and committed various acts of larceny all over the field. Wasps must have been sick of the sight of him; even when they had 22 dropouts, Itoje patrolled in front of Jimmy Gopperth hoping to force any mistake. While it was Maro's match on St George's day, his second-row lieutenant George Kruis was also titanic, Mako Vunipola played superbly while Michael Rhodes did well at blindside.

Away from individuals, the decision to switch game plans at half time changed the flow of the match. In the first half Saracens dominated territory but only had a charge-down try and a Farrell penalty to show for their efforts. They were uncharacteristically squandering opportunities.

Saracens
Saracens© David Rogers/Getty Images

After a first half of attempting to force the tempo, playing expansive rugby and offloading with reckless abandon, Saracens kept the ball in close quarters in the second 40. They resorted to ballast and strangled the life out of Wasps with Itoje omnipresent and it was their power game which eventually put the match out of reach when they forced the late penalty try.

Wasps were forced to overplay and to kick long and any attempts to get a foothold went awry. Christian Wade was fantastic whenever given the opportunity to attack. He did superbly well to tee up Dan Robson for Wasps' first try in just the second minute of the match and then stretched his legs in the second 40 to cause Saracens all manner of difficulties. But such were the sparseness of their attacking chances, whenever Wade or Piutau made a break they were largely isolated.

On the three big decisions of the match the call to disallow Duncan Taylor's try for Chris Ashton's shoulder barge on Frank Halai was harsh but Romain Poite got both calls right to sin-bin Farrell and then Simon Macintyre with the latter potentially warranting a red card. Those trio of calls had little bearing on the end result.

Saracens' strangulation of Wasps led Dai Young to admit "it was difficult for us to fire our shots" but their attention now switches to the Aviva Premiership. Hurt has to be bottled and used as motivation.

The question now is just how far Saracens will go this term. They are fighting on two fronts and have the strength in depth not to suffer any burnout. That they used just one substitute by the time the 70-minute mark ticked around shows their impressive levels of fitness and that may be the key factor when silverware is on the line.

The Champions Cup has been a "driving force" for Saracens, according to Brad Barritt, but after the heartbreak of 2014 when they lost to Toulon in the final, they seem in a much better place two years on. Barritt knows that pain well having started in 2014 but was quick to emphasise "we've won nothing yet" as he sat battered and bruised after the win over Wasps.

Being runners-up in finals count for little, but it will take a remarkable effort to stop Saracens from ending this season as champions of Europe.

© Tom Hamilton

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