Mark McCall: ‘I have been at the club a long time and I can’t remember a win like that one’

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall couldn’t hide his delight after his side returned to winning ways in the Premiership with a narrow 37-35 win over Bristol at Ashton Gate on Saturday.

This match went down to the wire and the home side had Sarries on the back foot for long periods, but McCall’s troops stayed in the fight throughout and eventually sealed their victory courtesy of Alex Lozowski’s stoppage-time penalty with the game’s final kick.

“I have been at the club a long time and I can’t remember a win like that one,” McCall said.

“There were so many occasions when it felt like they were on top, and somehow there was this fighting spirit among the group.

Plenty of pride despite end result

“Even if we had lost, I would have been proud. We had quite a lot to contend with this week with some injuries and some illness in the camp. People like Jamie George and Elliot Daly had the illness and played and got through.

“Their attack is superb. It is unique in world rugby. No one is attacking the way they are attacking, and they make you feel bad a lot because their line-breaks are 30-40 metres, and somehow we found a way to get back and fight and somehow won the match.

“It was such a strange game. They scored, we scored, but when Alex (Goode) got sin-binned we ended up winning that period. Alex Lozowski’s kicking was out of this world.

“Bristol must hate Alex Lozowski! I can remember two other games when that’s happened. His place-kicking was incredible, and we needed it.

“We found a way to work our way back into the game, and suddenly it was a one-point game. I think they (Bristol) couldn’t believe it, probably, and then we get a penalty and had one last chance.

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“It was an amazing backs-to-the-wall victory, I would say. Our fighting spirit meant that we always had a chance.”

Saracens are back at the top of the Premiership table thanks to this bonus-point triumph, but McCall has no doubt that Bristol will a major threat for honours this season.

“I see Bristol challenging, 100 per cent,” he added. “No one attacks like this. It’s incredible.

“They caused us so many problems all day, and it is a phenomenal way of playing – it must be a joy to play for them – and I am so glad that we scored a couple more points than them.”

Bristol’s Fitz Harding leads by example

Bristol will be wondering how they lost this clash as they held the upper hand for long periods and eventually outscored Sarries by five tries to four with captain Fitz Harding leading the way with a deserved hat-trick.

Harry Randall and Toby Fricker also crossed the whitewash while AJ MacGinty slotted two conversions and a couple of penalties.

For Saracens, Elliot Daly scored a brace of tries and Toby Knight and Rotimi Segun also dotted down while Lozowski finished with a 17-point haul courtesy of four conversions and three penalties.

Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam said: “I am proud of the effort, the way we played. We blew a lot of opportunities, and one thing with Saracens is if stay in, they have a chance. That is their history.

“Probably at the end, we tried to close the game out too early when we had a scrum. It is a good learning. But I cannot fault the effort.”

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