Maitland scores twice to ease superior Saracens past Northampton into final

Only once in the past seven years has an away team won a Premiership semi-final and there was seldom much sign of Northampton bucking the trend in north London. Saracens are now into their seventh final in the last 10 seasons and in pole position to claim their first title since 2019.

The Saints could not be faulted for effort or spirit but they were up against opponents whose collective energy and defensive cohesion were significantly superior. Sarries were also impressively clinical early on, establishing a 21-3 lead inside the opening half hour and rarely allowing their grip on the contest to slacken thereafter.

From a neutral perspective it made for a slightly underwhelming contest but Saracens will prefer to reflect on a job professionally done. The wing Sean Maitland finished with two of his side’s five tries, Owen Farrell kicked immaculately off the tee and the absence of Billy Vunipola made no obvious difference. If it was Sarries’ line speed and clever ooption-taking that ultimately set the hosts apart, the consistently excellent Ben Earl had another predatory game and the scrum-half Ivan van Zyl was also a sharp presence.

On an unseasonably cool May afternoon little went to plan for Northampton. After the first box kick of the game George Furbank was clattered in the air by Maitland but a promising attacking position yielded nothing. Instead, when the ball was turned over the hosts staged a daring break from behind their own line that almost yielded a score at the other end.

Suitably encouraged, Saracens were soon back sniffing for more. Alex Goode’s lovely chip bounced nicely up for Maitland, leaving Furbank and Alex Mitchell stranded, and the Saints were suddenly 7-0 down – precisely the scenario they had