Saracens became champions of Europe for a second time in a row by beating Clemont Auvergne 28-17 at Murrayfield last weekend, and now they turn their attentions to domestic matters.
The Londoners face an in-form and aggressive Exeter in the semi-finals of the Aviva Premiership next, and if they win they will contest another final against either Wasps or Leicester.
Saracens proved themselves to be a truly great team by winning that pulsating Champions Cup final. Chris Ashton was in sensational form, the Vunipola brothers were superb, flanker Michael Rhodes was immense and George Kruis was a colossus, Alex Goode gave a masterclass in full-back play and Mark Wigglesworth was excellent at scrum-half. Across the team Saracens were brilliant and they had to be against a spirited and battling Clermont side. They tested Saracens severely, but the class and sheer power of the defending champions eventually shone through.
Saracens are now creating a dynasty and could well be talked about in future years as one of the all-time great teams. They are ruthless in their desire to win and have combined a ferocious defence with a great attack, bullying rivals with their strength, speed and quality. They can take another great stride towards greatness by winning a third consecutive Premiership title.
First up is Exeter – the team they beat in last year’s final – in the Premiership semi-final and they will go in as clear favourites, despite Exeter finishing above them in the table. Review Ladbrokes odds before betting and you will see that Saracens are the 8/13 favourites, while Exeter are 11/8. That is despite Exeter coming into the game on the back of a five-match winning streak.
But Saracens are the team to beat in the Premiership and will be full of confidence after beating Clermont. “If we’re hungry enough and humble enough, then there’s no reason why we can’t get better,” said Mark McCall, Saracens’ director of rugby, after the Champions Cup win. “The age profile of the group is good and the manner in which we won was encouraging. Anyone winning back-to-back champions Cup must be very pleased, but for me it was the manner in which we did it, the way in which we played. It was hugely encouraging. Clermont gave us a very good game. I felt we were dominant for very long periods, that we dominated territory and attacked well even though we never pulled away on the scoreboard. At 18-17 it felt that we should have been more in control but our reaction to their try was outstanding. We got what we deserved at the end.”
If they get past Exeter, Saracens are likely to face Wasps in what would be a fantastic Premiership final between arguably the two best teams in the land. Wasps finished just ahead of Exeter in the table this season and have been rewarded with a game against fourth placed Leicester, a game they are heavy favourites to win. Ladbrokes has just 1/4 on Wasps and 3/1 on Leicester, showing the bookmakers think it will be a comfortable win for Wasps.
But Saracens are deservedly the favourites to win the Premiership for a third time on the bounce. Ladbrokes has 11/8 on Saracens, and 2/1 on Wasps, followed by 7/2 on Exeter and 14/1 on Leicester. Most of the action is going on Saracens and it easy to see why. They have been almost business-like in their pursuit of success and were dominant in possession and territory against a very strong Clermont team. They have beaten all comers in the last few years and there is no reason to think they cannot cement their greatness by claiming more silverware in the coming days.
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