Earl hat-trick leads Saracens to final after ending Harlequins’ title defence

It has been a mentally demanding three years for Saracens but they are finally back on the grand final stage. The north Londoners have been determined to make it back to Twickenham this season to draw a defiant line under their well-documented descent to the Championship and this fractious win over Harlequins has propelled them to within 80 minutes of potentially their most satisfying domestic triumph.

They were made to work mighty hard for the privilege, with Quins having played a full part in a furious, feisty contest which saw four players sent to the sin-bin for high challenges. The game’s decisive individual, though, proved to be the Saracens flanker Ben Earl who scored a hat-trick of tries to reinforce his Premiership player of the season award.

It was not all about Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith but their eventful match-up at fly-half neatly reflected the game. Initially it was Smith who made all the running and put his stamp on proceedings but ultimately it was Farrell and Sarries who showed sufficient grit to steer the club to their first Premiership final since 2019.

The first quarter, though, did not go remotely according to plan from Saracens’ perspective. Quins took the lead after just three minutes, declining a kickable penalty to opt for a lineout drive which splintered the home maul and ended with Alex Dombrandt twisting over.

It was almost all Quins for the opening quarter, aside from a solitary penalty for Farrell. Strong at the set-piece, direct and energised, the visitors put Saracens under sustained pressure and had chances to increase their advantage. It was still a striking moment, even so, when a dominant Quins scrum led to Smith cutting inside Farrell and putting Danny Care over for a fine try.

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