'Cheap shot' aimed at Owen Farrell provokes angry reaction with Wales star also under fire as semi-final erupts

You probably don’t need to have solved The Hound of the Baskervillles to conclude that Owen Farrell might just have been on the wrong end of some unseemly behaviour in the Saracens v Harlequins Gallagher Premiership playoff semi-final.

The clue wasn’t so much in the blood he spilled after a bumpy opening to the game at the StoneX Stadium.

Nor was it to be found in the episode that saw him become the victim of a head-on-head hit by Quins’ Jack Walker.

The offender there was at least shown a yellow card.

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No, it was the incident midway through the second period that riled some supporters, with Farrell again shedding claret after retiring Quins lock Matt Symons — not retiring as in shy and retiring, but retiring as in he's packing in as a player after the season ends — appeared to grapple with Farrell from behind amid a tangle of players.

There were allegations a punch may have been thrown but it needs to be said the video evidence isn't totally conclusive.

But footage shows Symons swinging an arm in the direction of Farrell and seconds later a bloodied England captain rises to his feet.

No action was taken against the 6ft 7in, 19st 1lb Symons.

One social media user called the former Wasps player a “lucky boy”, while someone else referred to a “cheap shot” and a third individual declared: "Unbelievable, how was that missed?"

As he wiped away blood with a towel, the Saracens man laughed and said a few words to Symons which didn’t appear to be along the lines of “well done, kind sir, I’ll stand you a pint later” but there didn't look to be any lingering bitterness between the pair, either.

They were in the thick of it throughout. You can read more