Saracens .......................... 52pts
Tries: Lewington 2, Dan 13, 43; Maitland 17, 26; Cinti 61, Gonzalez 67, Goode 71
Conversions: Farrell 3, 15, 44, 61, 68, 72
Harlequins ..........................7pts
Tries: Dombrandt 52
Conversions: Smith 52
OWEN Farrell celebrated his 250th Saracens appearance in style as the champions laid down a marker to the rest of the Premiership with this statement win.
Farrell controlled the game behind a dominant pack as Saracens came out snarling and kept their foot down for 80 minutes in this eight-try mauling of their nearest and not so dearest.
The win puts Saracens up to second, with Quins down to fifth, and the manner of it will send shivers through the rest of the league.
It was also their eighth league win in a row over Harlequins and a reminder to the winners in 2021, when Saracens were in the Championship, of what is required to land the league.
Farrell, who booted 12 points, controlled things but Saracens were a class above in every position with Elliot Daly standing out at full-back, twotry Theo Dan at hooker and flanker Juan Martin Gonzalez who was everywhere. Theo McFarland put in another top drawer performance as he ruled the air and got around the park and there were two tries for wing Sean Maitland.
Daly was bang on the money here. Defensively he mopped up everything in the backfield but it was attacking speed, breadth of passing and eye for a gap that caused chaos.
Farrell got a standing ovation from most of the 61,000 crowd when he led Saracens out on his landmark day. Children Tommy and Freddie were with him and father Andy and mother Colleen were in the stands for Farrell’s landmark day. And the centre of attention did not let them down.
Saracens response to their eight-week lay-off from the Premiership was to produce a blistering start in the best half of rugby they have produced all season. They had a try bonus point wrapped up in 26 minutes and, of course, Farrell was at the centre of it all. The fly-half probed the defence with an early kick before he fed Daly and his pass was collected by wing Alex Lewington who swivelled through Marcus Smith to score on three minutes.
Hooker Dan then scored off a driving line out while Quins had captain Stephan Lewies in the bin and Maitland had a walk-in try from Farrell’s long pass.
Maitland’s second and Saracens’ fourth came when Farrell’s pass to Daly was slightly wayward but no bother for the England
