This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
David Strettle helps Saracens squeeze past Exeter to lift LV Cup
Ben Spencer’s late penalty seals LV Cup crown for Saracens against Exeter
(about 1 hour later)
Saracens defeated defending champions Exeter 23-20 to claim the LV= Cup title at a sun-drenched Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday afternoon.
Saracens scrum-half Ben Spencer hailed a battling last-ditch 23-20 LV Cup final win against Exeter at Franklin’s Gardens. Sarrries led 20-6 with 20 minutes of the game remaining thanks to two tries from David Strettle and a close-range effort from Nick de Jager.
Rob Baxter’s side could not follow up last season’s success as they struggled to cope with a powerful Sarries outfit who were able to call upon the services of England internationals Alex Goode, George Kruis and David Strettle as well as Argentina centre Marcelo Bosch.
The Chiefs, however, staged a superb comeback with young full back Max Bodilly crossing twice to tie the scores, but Spencer had the final say with his late penalty securing the title for Sarries.
Tries from Strettle (two) and Nick de Jager did the damage with Ben Spencer adding eight points from the boot.
“We’re a very, very tight knit group,” said Spencer. “During those last 10 minutes, we were fighting for everything. A few decisions didn’t go our way. In those last few minutes, to put pressure on Exeter like that from the lineout and then to get that penalty at the end was just brilliant.
Exeter replied with a brace of tries from Max Bodilly with Ceri Sweeney kicking two penalties while replacement fly half Gareth Steenson kicked two conversions late on.
Spencer, who kicked eight points during the match, was sent to the sin-bin just before the break after he was penalised for failing to roll away at the ruck.
Bodilly’s early error handed Saracens an attacking scrum when the Exeter full back’s long kick went dead in goal. The Sarries pack capitalised on their first set-piece and decimated the Chiefs pack allowing Ben Spencer to post the first points of the afternoon.
The Sarries scrum-half atoned for his 10 minutes off the field by setting up Strettle for the first of his two tries with a perfectly judged kick into the corner.
The Chiefs responded immediately with winger Tom James making a scything run through the Sarries defence before he was hauled down inches short of the line. Sireli Naqelevuki, Jerry Sexton and Ben White carried on the attack before Brett Sturgess was held up over the line. Their efforts did not go unrewarded, however, as Sweeney kicked a three-pointer to level up the scores.
“That was the first yellow card of my career,” Spencer said.
Sarries were dealt a big blow just before the break when Spencer was sent the sin-bin for failing to roll away at the ruck following a powerful break from powerful Chiefs centre Hughes. Sweeney made no mistake from the tee to give his side a deserved lead heading into the break.
“Probably not the best time to get it, but the boys did incredibly well when I was off. It just shows how tight we are as a group to come away with the victory.
Sarries began the second half a man down but it was the Chiefs who found themselves under pressure as Strettle intercepted White’s wayward past to sprint over for the opening try of the game. Goode, who had replaced winger Mike Ellery late in the first half, could not add the extras from the touchline.
“Obviously, we came into today with a game plan. We identified there was an area we could attack and that was one of them.”
Strettle soon has his second try as the Sarries winger pounced on Spencer’s perfectly-weighted kick to touch down in the left corner. Goode failed with the extras once more but it mattered little as Saracens established a 13-6 lead.
Joe Shaw, the coach, added: “Today showed what this team has been about all year, this is a special group that never stops fighting and has always found a way. We did that again today despite creating a few hurdles for ourselves, I thought that the last 10 minutes the way we battled with 14 men to keep going and keep going just shows what this club is all about.”
Saracens were in the ascendancy and, following a superb break from Spencer, flanker De Jager powered over from close range in the 62nd minute to further extend his side’s lead.
Ricky Pellow, Exeter’s assistant coach, was disappointed to see his side lose the game with the last kick of the match having seen them fight back from 14 points down.
But Exeter came roaring back into the contest as Bodilly went crashing over in the corner following a superb long pass from James. Steenson fired over the touchline conversion to make it a seven-point game with 10 minutes remaining.
The reigning champions relinquished their crown following a thrilling 80 minutes of action in Northampton.
The Chiefs were playing with their tails up and monopolised possession in the closing stages and they soon had their crucial touchdown as Bodilly crashed over again. Steenson fired over the conversion to cap off a superb comeback from the Chiefs.
“I’m massively proud of the group today,” he said. “As a squad we are disappointed with the way we lost the game. Full credit to Saracens, they put us under a lot of pressure. We did go off script a little bit today and, when we did, they punished us. That’s the sign of a good side.They held on at the end and Ben Spencer, who is a quality kicker, knocked it over. We’re going away with a loss and Saracens are moving forward and have an LV= Cup under their belt.”
Spencer had the final say, though, as he held his nerve to kick a last-minute penalty to break Chiefs’ hearts and secure the title for Saracens.
