Smith has final say for Saints

NORTHAMPTON Saints, having run teams ragged in glorious fashion all season, scrummaged and muscled their way to their first Premiership final since 2014 but a resilient Saracens contested the issue until the final whistle.

- BRENDAN GALLAGHER

This was semi-final for the ages, raucous, edgy but without violent excess, immensely physical, occasionally error prone but mostly highly skilled

Confronted by an aggressive well drilled Saracens defence - shades of Paul Gustard's old wolf pack defence-Saints silky attack which had yielded 145 tries in all rugby this season was shackled for large periods of the game but impressively found another way to win this high pressure contest.

Seven times they forced a penalty at scrum time which either gave Fin Smith the opportunity to kick for goal or to punt for valuable field position. In tight games such statistics matter while they also prospered at the breakdown and it was also an evening for getting the basics right. With Courtney Lawes dominating the restarts and Tommy Freeman excellent under the highball Saints has most areas covered

Ultimatley the less experienced Saints pack covered themselves in glory and, in front of Steve Borthwick, Curtis Langdon, Alex Coles and Tom Pearson will have done their England prospects no harm. Test rugby is much more like this thunderous fare than the all singing all dancing rugby Saints can produce against lesser opponents.

There was also the poignancy as the game drew to a close of a handful of departing Sarries legends Owen Farrell, the Vunipola brothers and the prolific Alex Lewington going down with all guns blazing while their new generation, led by young Pumas Juan Martin Gonzalez and Lucio Cinti hinted at another dynasty just around the corner.