Premiership: Five takeaways from Saracens v London Irish as Owen Farrell delivers fly-half masterclass

Following a 45-21 victory for Saracens over London Irish in their Premiership fixture, here’s our five takeaways from the match at StoneX Stadium on Sunday.

Saracens eventually win the power game

London Irish started superbly, competed well with the big Sarries pack and benefiting from the hosts’ early ill-discipline. They deserved the 10-0 lead given to them by Matt Rogerson’s try and Paddy Jackson’s penalty, but the hosts gradually got on top physically. Apart from the scrum, which went in the Exiles’ favour in the first half, Mark McCall’s men won every other facet of the game up front.

With the likes of Ben Earl, Jackson Wray, Mako Vunipola and replacement loosehead Eroni Mawi charging into contact, Irish were continually sent into reverse. The Exiles were ultimately overwhelmed by the home side and succumbed to a disappointing defeat, which ended their chances of reaching the play-offs. Meanwhile, after the frustration of their Champions Cup quarter-final reversal at La Rochelle, this was much better from Sarries.

Rob Simmons’ brain fades

With Saracens eventually getting the upper hand in the forward exchanges, it felt inevitable that they would win the game, but the Australian lock did not help the Exiles’ cause. Simmons was penalised for a high tackle in the first half before the second-row then picked up Nick Tompkins and dropped him to the ground to concede another penalty, a moment which helped to alter the momentum in Sarries’ favour.

For that incident with the Welsh centre alone, the lock could have been sin-binned, but he didn’t get away with it a third time when his high shot on Theo Dan finally earned him a yellow card – remarkably his fifth of the season. Almost immediately, McCall’s men touched down through Sean Maitland and, from that point on, it was a long way back for the visitors. For a Wallaby centurion, it was simply not acceptable.

Saracens’ leaders…

As intimated, Sarries struggled to find their rhythm early on, giving away some needless penalties and dropping off a few tackles, but inspired by the leadership and just sheer excellence of Owen Farrell, they responded superbly. Players such as Vunipola, Maro Itoje and particularly Earl also made big impacts, but it was Farrell who was the driving force behind the triumph.

The captain sensibly took the option to kick at goal when they weren’t playing well, which edged Saracens back into the contest, before he went to the corner when his side were on the front foot. He also controlled the game beautifully from the half-hour mark onwards, with his option-taking and passing flat to the line a big feature of his game. It was a joy to watch the England fly-half on this form.

"We want to bring the best out of ourselves."

Owen Farrell lays down the challenge to his @Saracens side ahead of a huge few weeks for the London club.#GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/aoIorN5Bfl

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) April 23, 2023

….And their youth

Well, Theo Dan specifically. They are hardly a side that lacks experience with the starting XV on Sunday packed with internationals and outstanding club players, but their famed academy still continues to produce. The mobile hooker is the latest to edge his way into the first team having taken his opportunity when Jamie George was with England in the Six Nations.

If fit, George will start in the big matches but Dan has stepped up impressively in his absence and shone once again on Sunday. The 22-year-old is so dynamic in the loose and London Irish struggled to contain the youngster when he was charging into their defence. His set-piece is also solid, particularly at the lineout, and on this form could make a late charge for England’s wider World Cup squad.

A year too soon for Exiles as semi-finals confirmed

One disappointment from Sunday’s result, both from a London Irish and neutral perspective, was that it denied us a fascinating end to the campaign with the top-four already confirmed. There won’t even be any movement within the play-off places as Saracens and Sale Sharks have already made sure of first and second in the table.

Midlands rivals Leicester and Northampton are level on points but, with the Saints’ regular season over having completed their campaign at Newcastle on Friday, the Tigers would need to lose by a significant amount against Harlequins to drop below them in the table. It means that the only thing left to fight for is towards the bottom of the table as Bristol Bears, Bath and Gloucester compete for the final Champions Cup spot.

The Exiles will finish their campaign against Exeter Chiefs and they will hope to end what has been another positive season on a high. In December, they were at the bottom of the table and that poor start ultimately cost them, but in truth they probably aren’t quite ready for the Premiership semi-finals.

Declan Kidney’s men play some wonderful rugby, have a number of superb young players and are a threat to all teams in the competition, but at the moment they don’t have that top-end power to match England’s best in a big knockout match. The Exiles are continually improving, however, and perhaps next season will be the year they get back into the top-four.

READ MORE: Saracens seal top spot as London Irish’s play-off hopes fade