Sarries claim Premiership title

Saracens
12 April 2012

Saracens were crowned champions of England for the first time after teenager Owen Farrell kicked them to a 22-18 victory over Leicester at Twickenham.

The 19-year-old fly-half, son of Saracens head coach and former Great Britain rugby league captain Andy Farrell, delivered an immaculate display.

Farrell junior landed five penalties and a conversion from six kicks at goal, adding the extras to wing James Short's 29th-minute try. But he also made a telling tackle on his opposite number Toby Flood when Leicester exhaustively went through more than 25 phases of play during the closing seconds.

Leicester saw their Aviva Premiership title bid flounder on two missed second-half penalties from Flood - kicks he would normally have expected to convert.

Flood still landed six penalties, yet his failures in quick succession midway through the third quarter undermined Leicester's attempts to remain in a game when they only briefly threatened territorially.

Saracens' last major trophy was the Tetley's Bitter Cup when they beat Wasps 48-18 in 1998 thanks to the efforts of world superstars like Michael Lynagh and Philippe Sella.

But an English league title was 135 years in the making from their formation, made all the sweeter against the revered kings of Premiership rugby.

Leicester, despite finishing top after the 22-game regular league season, never threatened to hit top gear during a match they began seeking a title hat-trick for the second time.

And Saracens now become England's fifth Premiership champions since the competition's induction in the 1997-98 season.

They follow seven-time winners Leicester, four-time champions Wasps, plus Sale and Newcastle, but Saracens now look set to march on and become, possibly, English rugby's next major force.

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