We’ve just been too inconsistent, admits Farrell
Owen Farrell succinctly summed up Saracens' season in two words before what turned out to be his final match for the club on Friday: consistently inconsistent.
From the high of defeating Harlequins 52-7 one week to the low of conceding 41 to Northampton the next, even if a late rally to secure a try bonus point showed the vestiges of defiance in a side that had made seven of the previous eight Premiership finals they had a chance of making.
“We have had some big emotional spikes and played well in them,” said Farrell, the club's captain who is joining Racing 92 in the summer. “But you have to be able to deal with the bad as well as the good to be consistent and we have not done that this season.”
Saracens looked to have rediscovered themselves after the defeat at Northampton at the end of March, winning at playoff rivals Bath and Bristol, but having qualified for the knock-out stage before the final round of the regular season they lost at home to Sale and had to travel, edged out by the Saints in one of the Premiership's epic tussles.
“There was a change in mindset, a real mood to get it right,” said Farrell. “The hunger has always been there but it was a case of becoming clear on how we wanted to be.”
The spirit still burns and the desire for success remains as fierce as ever, but Friday night's semi-final at Northampton showed how Saracens have changed from the side that dominated the Premiership and Europe for the second half of the 2010s.
Northampton won the physical battle by some distance. Runners were sent hurtling backwards, even the Vunipola brothers who made their names by putting dents in defenders, and Sarries were forced to seek the wide channels where they did make inroads and, typically, stayed in a game that would have got away from other sides.
“We have been through some challenges this season,” said director of rugby Mark McCall whose side started with a 65-10 defeat at Exeter before losing at home to Bath. “We have been terrible and we have been beautiful.
“There has been a gap between us at our best and at our worst. We can perform at a very high level, which we have done five or six times with a number coming on the road.
“We made our 13th Premiership semi-final since 2010, which is a record we can be proud of, but on Friday it was the last one for us for a number of people while it was the first for others.”
Saracens were handicapped by the absence of a number of players at the start of the season who were on World Cup duty – only four of the side that started at Exeter did so at Northampton on Friday.
“Looking at one season in isolation, especially in a World Cup year, is a mistake,” said McCall. “Most seasons are not straightforward and this one has definitely not been.”
Farrell has been a constant in Sarries' success over the years, along with the Vunipola brothers, and he kept his side going to the very end in the semi-final, setting up their try with a break and chip and denying Northampton a cushion when he forced Fin Smith to knock on.
It was not a fitting end to what was arguably the most successful club career in the Premiership era and Farrell could not hide his dejection at the final whistle, but he was soon posing for photographs with supporters and signing autographs.
“It is sad the season is done and my head is all over the place,” he said. “They got on top of us and we struggled to get out of our own half, but we showed heart. I have been with Saracens since I was 13 and I have loved all of it, the tough times and the brilliant. I will look back at the last couple of weeks more than any others in my career.”
How do you replace Farrell? Saracens have signed two outside-halves, Fergus Burke from the Crusaders and Louie Johnson from Newcastle, but Northampton marked the end of an era with players who have been at the top end of the highest level for more than a decade.
“I feel emotional,” said McCall. “They have been incredible for a long period of time. The vision was that they would always look back on Saracens as the best time of their lives. We have had some incredible moments and the tough times make the good ones better.”
Saracens still have the likes of Jamie George, Maro Itoje, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Theo McFarland, Ben Earl, Elliot Daly, Theo Dan, Andy Christie and Lucio Cinti. If they are a side in transition, it is unlikely to be for long.
