A late Nick Ramsey try was enough to earn Saracens a dramatic victory in the final of the U18 Premiership as they defeated defending champions Northampton Saints 23-19.
On their home patch at Allianz Park, a well supported Saracens came flying out of the traps to score through Ethan Waddleton, a try that was converted by the majestic Max Malins.
In truth though that was the last time that the game was truly one side or the others until the final whistle, as both sides enjoyed their moments of possession and dominance, but neither could pull away.
Saints soon hit back following that early setback, with fullback George Furbank finished well in the right hand corner, a corner that was to have a big say later on in the game.
Malins then slotted a penalty for Saracens to extend their advantage to 10-5, but now Northampton were in a period of strength, which scrum half Ben Richardson took advantage of to score a typical scrum halves try as he darted over to level the scores.
Malins was quickly back with a penalty though to nudge his side back in front but Saints were straight back on it, scoring a penalty through substitute fly half James Grayson, on for the injured Gregor Haldane.
That ended a compelling first half at 13-13, choosing a winner felt tough, Northampton Saints were reigning champions and full of confidence, Saracens, on their home patch, looked like they were comfortable too though.
With a quarter of an hour of the second half gone though, it felt like the story might be of Northampton knowing ‘how to win’, through two further Grayson penalties they had managed to edge their way ahead to a 19-13 lead, and Saracens looked like they were having to work overtime to stay in touch.
Work overtime they did though and through the finesse of Malins and the physicality of Ben Earls and his like, they began to step up their momentum.
First came a try through tighthead Billy Walker, which brought his side to within a point at 18-19. However with Malins’ touchline conversion bouncing back off the bar, it felt like a crucial miss. Even more so when Saints started to gain control of possession again, forcing Saracens to go in to overtime to secure the ball.
With time ticking though Saracens found themselves deep in Saints territory, battering against the green and yellow wall. The Saints discipline was immaculate but eventually something had to give, and in this case it was the numbers as Ramsey was released down the right hand side for the most dramatic of finishes to the game.
There were still two minutes left though, but Saracens defended them beautifully to see out the game, buoyed by the adrenalin of that superb and dramatic try.
It is a moment that will stay with them for a long time to come. For some it will be just the start of a long and illustrious Saracens career, for others it might be the last time they pull on the shirt, but for all it will be a moment to savour.
It capped a remarkable day, which saw Exeter pick up 5th place with a victory over Gloucester (see report – Exeter Chiefs v Gloucester) and Leicester Tigers claim third with a dominant victory over Bath (see report – Leicester Tigers v Bath). Once again though it was the quality of rugby all around that shone, and the opportunity to see all of these futures stars in action that excited.
For Saracens there should be plenty of those future stars in their ranks.
Full Time: Northampton Saints 19-23 Saracens
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Scorers:
Northampton Saints – Tries, Furbank, Richardson; Pens, Grayson x 3
Saracens – Tries, Waddleton, Walker, Ramsey; Con, Malins; Pens, Malins x 2
Northampton Saints:
15. George Furbank 14. Adam Shaw 13. Jamel Hamilton 12. Freddie Mckibbin 11. Rotimi Segun 10. Gregor Haldane 9. Ben Richardson 1. Ryan Eveleigh 2. James Fish 3. Luc Jeannot 4. Alex Moon 5. John Hawkins (c) 6. Tim Cardall 7. Will Allman 8. George Cox.
Replacements: 16. Rob Marmion 17. Jake Byrne 18. Ehren Painter 19. Toby Trinder 20. Matt Watson 21. Rob Smith 22. James Grayson 23. Tosin Segun.
Saracens:
15 Will Kaye 14 Alex Gilham 13 Dominic Morris 12 Fili Savou 11 Euan Dickson-Earle 10 Max Malins 9 Alex Patton 1 Ralph Hale-Adams 2 Harrison King 3 Billy Walker 4 Danny Cutmore 5 Nick Isiekwe 6 Jacob Moody 7 Ethan Waddleton 8 Ben Earl.
Replacements: 16 Aston Lester 17 Matthew Brooks 18 Seb Brownhill 19 Joe Hughes 20 Alex Munday 21 James Lennon 22 Nick Ramsey 23 Jack Longhurst.
