The quietest man in the stadium will be the most brilliantly lit when the spotlight falls on him come the end of the match. Mark McCall will hope his last home match in charge of Saracens will have ended with his team back in the top four, just when it matters most, with one round to play.
A win against Harlequins on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd would move Saracens ahead of Exeter into fourth, with the Chiefs visiting Leicester on Sunday. Saracens are 20-point favourites to beat Quins, Leicester 11-point favourites to beat Exeter. Unless both underdogs rear up to bite their hosts (an outcome the bookies rate as a one-in-50 chance), we are due a straight shootout for that fourth playoff spot on the regular season’s final weekend at Sandy Park, where Exeter will host Saracens.
