Northampton boss Jim Mallinder hailed “a big win” for his team after Saints secured a place in this season’s Aviva Premiership play-offs by beating title rivals Saracens 25- 20 in Milton Keynes.
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Fly-half Stephen Myler kicked six penalties and converted Samu Manoa’s try for a 20-point haul to thwart Saracens, who struck early with two Chris Wyles tries, while Charlie Hodgson booted two penalties and two conversions.
Saints, who still have bottom club London Welsh to play at home, also remain on course for a home semi-final, and a comeback win from 14-6 adrift said everything about their character.
Saracens, though, did not quite have enough in the tank after their narrow European Champions Cup semi-final loss to Clermont Auvergne in France last Saturday, but they should still join Northampton in next month’s Premiership knockout phase.
Mark McCall tells @5liveSport that Billy Vunipola has rolled his ankle and they won’t know for a few days how serious it is.
— Ed Marriage (@elmrugby) April 25, 2015
And they must also hope that injuries to back-row forwards Billy Vunipola (ankle) and Jackson Wray (concussion) are not long-term after they both went off during the opening 40 minutes.
“It is a big win,” said Mallinder. “Saracens disrupted our set-piece – the lineout didn’t function quite as well as it normally does – but we managed to keep in the game and Stephen Myler kicked his goals.
“Stephen gets man-of-the-match in a lot of the big games. You need someone as reliable as him who can kick the goals in big pressure situations and can run the team.”
Elsewhere, Leicester Tigers boosted their hopes of a top-four finish with a workmanlike bonus point 38-17 win at home to the Aviva Premiership whipping boys London Welsh, who finished the game with 14 men.
Leicester fought back from a shock 10-7 half time deficit to score 31 points in a one sided second half against the relegated Welsh who had number eight Chris Hala‘ufia sent off for a bad tackle and foul play.
Captain Ben Youngs scored Leicester’s first try in the third minute and five more followed after the interval from Laurence Pearce (two), Sam Harrison, Jamie Gibson, and Tom Youngs. London Welsh’s tries came from Koree Britton and Opeti Fonua.
Harlequins’ director of rugby Conor O’Shea announced Joe Marler has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a shoulder injury but his World Cup aspirations are not in doubt.
Marler was initially named to start against Sale, a game Harlequins won 25-23, but was pulled out of the squad and O’Shea admitted that he could need an operation.
“It’s not a worry for the World Cup,” he said. “Will he be fit for the rest of the season? No. But will he be fine for the (England) training camps? Yes.”
