Contrasting report cards for two English fly-halves

David Skippers
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Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall praised the performance of fly-half Owen Farrell as he marked his 200th club appearance with a victory over Harlequins.

Making his return from a tight quad that forced him to miss the restart opener against Bristol Bears, Farrell impressed in the Allianz Park fixture.

Saracens surged 28-3 ahead but were reeled in 31-24 as Quins staged a final-quarter rally inspired by the arrival of centre Paul Lasike from the bench.

But the relegated champions had ultimately done enough to hold on for the five points, with Farrell earning special praise from McCall after the game.

“Owen’s contribution over the time he has been with us has been incredible. He was outstanding again in this game,” lauded Sarries’ long-time boss.

In contrast, Quins head of rugby Paul Gustard was critical of his fly-half Marcus Smith, who was successful with a drop goal at a time when his team were pushing hard for a try and had penalty advantage that called for an all-out assault on the whitewash.

“We didn’t control the field in the first half as well as we could. Two or three big penalties went against us and they were quite critical,” said Gustard.

“I felt like that moment just before half-time when we had penalty advantage and took a drop kick instead of trying to push for the try, was a big turning point in the game.

“It left us with a big mountain to climb but we did that. We were the more dominant team in the second half.

“We were physically dominant, on top in the scrum, but we just couldn’t quite control the field in that final minute.”

Quins’ fightback hinged on the 57th-minute arrival of Lasike, who used his strength to score two tries and set up a third for fellow substitute Scott Steele.

“Paul is a big, strong boy. There aren’t many people who can carry the ball into direct contact as well as he can. He relishes that part of the game,” Gustard added.

“He’s a big player for us but unfortunately he had a couple of small niggles during pre-season, which are hampering how many minutes we feel he can play at the moment.

“But he’s certainly a threat when he carries the ball, he sits people down and people don’t want to tackle him. We saw that with his tries.”

 

Harlequins Owen Farrell