Saracens land maiden European title with win

Racing 9-21 Saracens

By Nick Powell at the Grand Stade 
Saracens ended their wait for a first ever European Champions Cup title as they deservedly beat a disappointing Racing side to become the first English side to win the tournament since 2007 after an intense, brutal victory.

During a showery early spell, the finalists exchanged penalties before Farrell stretched his sides lead out with two three-pointers in 7 minutes.

Racing responded with another, but Farrell had the last word to give Saracens a 12-6 lead at the break.

Saracens extended their lead, and were looking as they would ease home to victory but Racing set up a tense final fifteen minutes as they got within a converted try.

But Farrell added a further two penalties very late on to crush Racing's fading hopes and end Saracens', and England's, wait for a European victory.

Saracens had been the favourites prior to kick off, but this was only if they were able to suppress the threat of Carter and avoid allowing the French side’s forward pack any momentum.

The game started with an opening quarter littered with handling errors, in the first ten minutes there were nerves, and the following 10 was affected by a torrential shower. It was Farrell who notched his side ahead first. Machenaud missed a penalty attempt and soon was Racing were made to pay.

Chris Ashton’s superb tackle off the kick chase help Itoje earn back the ball and after Sarries kicked through, Racing could not prevent a five metre scrum which led to the first penalty of the game after ten minutes.

Farrell scored the first points of the match

Goosen replied for the first-time finalists just 8 minutes later. Sarries were being pinned back in their own 22 and seemed to be reprieved as Racing knocked on around halfway, but the latter won the penalty from the scrum and Goosen knocked the ball over from all of 55 metres.

But the London side would start to dominate the battle of the breakdown and scrum time as they worked themselves into a 3-9 lead with just after half an hour played. They were spending plenty of time in Racing’s half and outwitting them with their kicking game, enabling them to work their way up the field. Their attack was well structured and regimented and their defence was remarkably solid against an ill disciplined Racing defence and loose attack.

Farrell knocked over 24th and 32nd minute penalties to give Sarries the lead.

Despite Racing’s looseness, they worked their way up the field to cut the gap to three points and it seemed they’d head into the break in a strong position. Sarries scrum had other ideas again however, as Racing knocked on contesting a box kick, Sarries earned and converted another penalty to return to six points clear.

Saracens were forty minutes away from their greatest day. The likelihood of that increased as Carter trudged off two and a half minutes into the second period. The second half started much like the first with Saracens kicking Racing out of the game, two fine kicks were able to pin Racing in their 22 and Sarries managed to steal the second one.

Carter didn't last 43 minutes

They pushed for the line and put some tight phases together but Racing would have been aggrieved at how the next three points came for their opponents. Referee Nigel Owens appeared to signal the ball was out the ruck, and as Racing went for it, they were called as coming in at the side. Saracens extended the buffer to a more than a converted try and seemed to be moving towards the title.

Farrell put his side 9 points clear

Racing looked to come back and attack boldly but handling errors and other basic mistakes proved costly. Kicking for touch off a penalty and missing epitomising this and Saracens came back to attack. But just before the hour mark, Racing began to wake up.

Two penalties helped them earn a huge chance in the Sarries 22. They drove on and on at the Sarries defence looking desperately for something to bring them back, an intelligently created maul in midfield provided this as Sarries brought it down, allowing Goosen to bring them back to arm’s length.

Racing carried hard as they fought back

Racing were pouring on the pressure as they move up to the Sarries 22, but a lack of invention against a defence as strong as Saracens was always going to cost them. A knock on gave Saracens another scrum penalty and they could clear away. A moment of good fortune at a scrum helped them prevent Racing get a penalty of their own, and they soon had the chance to smash it into the Parisians territory. They all but wrapped up victory as their unstoppable maul had to be brought down illegally. Farrell made it six of the best to devastate the Racing support.

Saracens pumped it back into Racing territory again, Racing desperately tried to break out, but were caught by the hard-working Saracens pack and had to settle for defeat, and Sarries could start celebrating a deserved, hard-fought 21-9 win.

Saracens have been building towards the title since they became England's wealthiest team

Player analysis

The big players performed for Sarries and didn’t turn up for Racing. Farrell’s territory and place kicking was a huge reason Sarries won, Billy Vunipola tackled and carried somewhere near his best, and Ashton chased everything down putting in some outstanding tackles, something we’ve rarely seen from him. Man of the match Itoje was the finest however, an unstoppable work rate, stolen line out ball, it seems he can do no wrong at the moment.

Conversely, Carter was miles off his best, picking out the wrong option, making handling errors and kicking lamely. He was unable to get Racing’s backline going and with them losing the battle of the forwards there was only going to be one winner.