“The Gangs of London”: Saracens reign supreme in Harlequins derby
Dubbed ‘The Duel’ by the marketing gurus, the derby between Saracens and Harlequins needs no nominal title. A repeat of the 2018, 2019 and 2021 Premier 15s finals, two titans brimming with international talent took the stage at the Stone X Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Just 12 miles separate the two Londoners, and only points difference divided them in third and fourth in the table.
A pre-game stadium power cut did nothing to sap the energy from this contest as Saracens produced an imperious five try haul in the first half. Runaway scores from Jess Breach and Marlie Packer were swiftly followed by touchdowns from Coreen Grant, Zoe Harrison and Poppy Cleall.
The score read 27-0 at the break, the visitors powerless to parry Saracens’ flèche.
Harlequins endeavoured to edge back into the contest after the break, Lagi Tuima’s intercept and Bella Mackenzie’s break hinting at an improbable Quins comeback. However the home side were resolute, their superior driving maul delivering a late Jodie Rettie try to seal the derby deal.
“It’s a real good result” said Saracens head coach Alex Austerberry.
“I think first half we set some real good standards, painted some really good pictures, executed well, lots of little things, intricate plays that came off and we were solid. We made some really good decisions at the breakdown.
“And then second half, we didn’t, simple as that really. I though we got a little loose, bit ill-disciplined, started chasing things. Two relatively soft tries is quite disappointing, but on the flip side of that we actually defended the last of that quite well.”
For Harlequins, it was a gloomy day in Hendon.
With Ellie Kildunne wrapped in cotton wool ahead of the Six Nations, the Quarters shifted their playmakers around in the starting line-up. Emily Scott pulled on the 15 shirt to make way for Bella Mackenzie at fly-half, her blazing half-pitch effort against the same opponents in the reverse fixture sure to have been at the forefront of her mind.
Meanwhile an unchanged 15 took the field for the home side, the lethal back three of Lotte Clapp, Coreen Grant and Jess Breach eager to build on the four tries they scored between them in last weekend’s demolition of Sale.
And boy, did they.
Blink and you’d have missed it. In just half an hour Saracens had the bonus-point tucked neatly in their back pocket, the score extended four minutes later to 27-0.
The opener from former Quin Breach was the pick of the bunch. A brilliant set play from the base of a midfield ruck saw the fullback find a gap, her arcing run into the left corner, enriched by an inkling of a goose step, beating her pacy pursuer in Abby Dow.
“We worked on that in training, it didn’t come off once!”, chuckled Austerberry. “To work in the game, get the timing right and the application of the analysis is really pleasing.”
With four of their first-half flourish coming in the left corner, the Saracens head coach stated it was a combination of pre-planning and instinctive play from his side.
He said: “We’ve looked a lot at how we can broaden the width of our attack and see where space is. There were opportunities there, opportunities we’d seen in analysis, so you know, it’s nice when plans come together.
“But also some of it is the players seeing that live, so it’s not a case of we’re going to attack that down in the left-hand corner, it’s a case of where the space presents, can we execute in it, and we did a very good job of it in the first half.”
Quins, meanwhile, looked devoid of ideas with ball in hand in the opening 40. There was a noticeable Jade Konkel-Roberts shaped hole in their carrying options and their attack was lacking clear leadership and organisation.
Compounded by simple mistakes, such as a penalty kick to the corner which sailed into the dead ball area, Quins went into the half time sheds with little to show for themselves.
The bookies were far from predicting such a dominant Sarries first half, yet Harlequins head coach Amy Turner said their brilliance came as no surprise.
She said: “That is exactly what they are about, they always want to start well and get on the front foot and if they don’t do that they come after the last 20 minutes.”
Quins were much improved in the second period, managing to inject some life into the otherwise wholly one-sided affair.
Lagi Tuima’s unique try, intercepting Harrison’s attempt to swing the ball wide behind Sarries try-line, paired with McKenzie’s monstrous fend, the Saracens and Red Roses 10 again the victim, showed some grit.
Turner was satisfied with her side’s reaction and gave particular praise to her Australian fly-half.
She said: “We were definitely better and came out with a bit more physical intent so we’ll take a lot of positives from the second half. First half for us, I think we just came out the blocks a bit lethargic and didn’t pay the respects of the physical battle that we needed to.”
“[Bella] has a really good and natural eye to see slight disconnects so we let her trust her instincts on that take opportunities when she sees it.
“She’s very very physical, she’s great because she can play 10 and 12 so we utilise her at both positions and that mix of Scottie and Bella at 10/12 seemed to be what the team needed for the second half, so pleased with how that went.”
With a derby-day victory and third-place in the table solidified, Austerberry was most thrilled that his side are now right in the playoff fight.
He said: “We often talk about the rivalries of London, the Gangs of London. Losing to your noisy neighbours, you don’t want to do that.
“But the important thing today is we’ve come out of these two games with a five-point win. That’s important in the playoff picture, you don’t want to give away free points.”
