Saracens 38-15 Northampton: Sarries crush Saints with five tries in Premiership semi-final

Saracens has reached their seventh Premiership final in ten years, after beating Northampton Saints in a play-off semi-final match. Despite Saints’ brief revival in the second half, Sarries managed to complete the job with a five-try win, aided by two tries from Sean Maitland and another from Ivan van Zyl.

The match ended with 14 men on each side after Maro Itoje and Tom James received late yellow cards. Saracens will now face the winner of the Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks game as they aim for their sixth title and their first in four years following their relegation to the Championship. The final will take place on May 27 at Twickenham.

Northampton had reached their second consecutive semi-final and their 11th overall, however, they lost to Saracens who are in pursuit of their sixth title. Despite beating Saracens 38-29 last month and being the highest point and try-scorers this season, Saints’ poor start left them with little chance of victory.

In the opening seconds of the game, Maitland elbowed George Furbank in an aerial collision, and although he was penalised, he was not sin-binned. He later scored two tries for Saracens in the first half.

Mitchell and Ramm both scored tries for Saints in the second half, however, a penalty try and a late score by Max Malins sealed the game for Saracens. Referee Karl Dickson denied Saints a chance of a comeback, and a Saracens maul forced a penalty try that led to James being sent off. Itoje was also yellow-carded just two minutes before full time.

Saracens Director of Rugby, Mark McCall, praised his team’s performance, stating that it was their strongest defensive performance in years, and that his players were emotionally consistent and strong. He also commended their ability to deal with unexpected situations during the game.

Northampton boss Phil Dowson conceded that Saracens played better and deserved the win. He accepted the referee’s decisions and acknowledged that, although his team lost, they gave it their all in a semi-final against the best team in the league.