Leicester Tigers v Saracens: Five takeaways as Tomos Williams ‘shows his class’ with ‘Welsh influence’ inspiring record-breaking PREM round
Saracens scrum-half Tomos Williams was excellent.
Following a 40-38 victory for Saracens over Leicester Tigers at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, here’s our five takeaways from the PREM Rugby clash.
The top line
Saracens twice came from behind after having Nick Isiekwe red-carded to beat Leicester and hand Brendan Venter a winning start to his second term as director of rugby.
The Londoners, bidding to make the play-offs for the first time in three seasons, looked to have blown their chance after England forward Isiekwe was sent off for a head-to-head collision with Freddie Steward.
But they refused to roll over. They lost Olly Hartley to a suspected broken arm, Ben Earl played in both forwards and backs and Elliot Daly occupied four different positions.
Saracens lifted their levels to win the 20-minute ‘red’ period 12-7 and silenced Welford Road by taking the win with two late tries from wing Rotimi Segun.
Tomos caps a great day for Wales
For what seems like forever rugby fans across the Severn Bridge have campaigned for the Gallagher Prem to be widened to include a team or two from Wales, insisting the addition of Dragons’ blood would improve the product.
It remains a dream for a nation at war with itself over how best to set up its domestic game. Yet in Leicester on the opening weekend of a new season there was absolutely no doubting the Welsh influence.
Aaron Wainwright made a barnstorming debut for Leicester Tigers and looks an incredible signing by Geoff Parling. Team-mate Gabe Hamer-Webb helped himself to a hat-trick and neither Tommy Reffell nor Nick Tompkins let themselves down.
Yet player of the match went to Tomos Williams, the Wales and Lions scrum-half signed from Gloucester over the summer. How good must he have been.
Williams an inspired signing
Williams was not the most talked about of Saracens’ summer signings, with more attention given to Alfie Barbeary joining from Bath and George Martin’s arrival from Leicester to add further heft to the Saracens pack.
Yet one Sunday in Leicester changed all that. Juan Martin Gonzalez’s opening try in just the second minute featured three involvements by Williams. Tobias Elliott’s second soon after again came courtesy of the scrum-half’s speed of thought.
And so it went on. He had a hand in Saracens’ third by Daly on 35 minutes, which put the visitors 21-12 up at half-time and zipped a beauty of a pass for Earl to bag the bonus point soon after half-time.
Joe Shaw, Sarries head coach, said: “Considering he’s just come to a new team and had to learn everything very quickly, in such a difficult position, it just shows what his class is.
“Going forward, going backwards and just how calm he is on the field, he’s a massive addition for us.”
Warburton hails Welsh wonders
Sam Warburton, the Wales and Lions legend, was already waxing lyrical about the Welsh contribution to this opening weekend before Williams, Wainwright and Hamer-Webb tripped the light fantastic in Tiger town.
He had seen Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake transform Gloucester from also-rans to a side of play-off potential in the Cherry and Whites’ 45-24 win at Prem runners-up Exeter Chiefs.
He had watched Louis Rees-Zammit score twice as Bristol won 34-24 at Sale, with the decisive try touched down by Welsh-qualified hooker Tomas Gwilliam.
“I think they’re seeking success,” Warburton told TNT Sports. “They’ve been part of such under-performing regions for so long.
“I’ve been a massive advocate of the Prem, Prem rugby is brilliant. We watch it from the other side of the Bridge and go, ‘What a great product to be part of’. They want to be part of it.
“The best players have come over. I think they’ve added value to the league and they’re enjoying it.”
PREM product goes from strength to strength
Four out of five matches won by the away side, 51 tries scored across the round a record for the opening weekend of the Gallagher PREM.
None of that will make Geoff Parling feel any better after seeing his side rally from 14-0 down to lead 31-28 on 54 minutes through Hamer-Webb’s hat-trick and a beauty by Adam Radwan, created by Jack van Poortvliet’s sublime chip.
Isiekwe’s 20-minute red should have served as a springboard to see the game out. Instead Daly found Segun in the left corner for the first of the winger’s two late tries, Tarek Haffar was sin-binned and Alec Clarey won a crucial late scrum penalty to put the result to bed.
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The loss will sting Parling as Leicester, starting life without Hanro Liebenberg, Nicky Smith, Martin and Harry Wells, had given an excellent account of themselves yet end the day with a sixth straight defeat in all competitions dating back to the end of last season.
“Rugby’s cruel,” Shaw admitted. “It could have gone any way with 10 minutes to go. You have to play for 80 minutes against these sides in the Premiership if you want to be where you want to be at the end of the year.”
READ MORE: Leicester Tigers v Saracens: Result, scorers, match stats, line-ups