Mark McCall declared Owen Farrell is in the form of his life, in the wake of Saracens’ sixth Gallagher Premiership title.
Captain Farrell drove Saracens to a pulsating 35-25 victory over Sale at Twickenham, with the Men In Black sticking to their new-found expansive attacking principles under the greatest pressure.
Tries from Max Malins, Elliot Daly, Ivan Van Zyl and a penalty score did the trick for Saracens, who exorcised the remaining demons from last term’s 15-12 final defeat by Leicester.
Akker Van Der Merwe, Tom Roebuck and Bevan Rodd crossed for a gritty Sale side that pushed Saracens hard but were rightly edged out.
Farrell ultimately bent this game to his will, kicking accurately out of hand and exhorting Saracens forward in their wide game at every chance. And rugby director McCall paid tribute to the 31-year-old for delivering top form when it mattered most.
“If you spent a week at our training ground you wouldn’t believe just how influential he is, how clear he is with the playing group, how motivated he is, what standard he sets, how supportive he is to team-mates young and old,” said McCall, of Farrell.
“He’s playing the best rugby of his life at the moment, but his leadership’s going to a whole new level. When the game was in the balance and it was 25-23 and we lacked a bit of energy, it wasn’t just Owen, our senior players grasped the nettle and saw us through.
“In the last 15, 20 minutes we had a lot of control and that’s down to their experience. They showed a lot of experience when we needed it most.”
Jackson Wray and Duncan Taylor bowed out in trophy-winning style, with both men’s Saracens careers now complete. Flanker Wray made his 309th and final appearance before retirement, to sit alongside Alex Goode and Owen Farrell as the only Saracens players to have won all six Premiership titles and three European crowns.
Taylor featured in his third Premiership triumph, with the Scotland centre looking to extend his career despite leaving Saracens this summer.
Talismanic fly-half Farrell admitted Saracens will have to work hard to cope with losing two vital cogs in their unrelenting machine.
“I can’t imagine this place without them,” said Farrell. “But not just that, we’re going to have to work hard to fill their boots.
“They are unbelievable people and unbelievable characters: people that you trust, people that you know are going to turn up every single day, never mind every single weekend.
“There’s some work to do to fill their boots. That’s exciting, but I can’t speak highly enough of them. They are two of my best mates. That’s what this club’s created.”
