Harlequins 20-14 Saracens
England fly-half in inspired form with the boot
Ordinarily a game-winning performance from Marcus Smith worth 15 points would include a dozen line-breaks, several off-loads and more hot-steps than a Motown nightclub. And while the England star dazzled in patches with ball in hand, it was his composed kicking that was the difference as Harlequins beat Saracens 20-14 in a scrappy but enjoyable London derby.
He launched long, raking kicks into space. He hoisted contestable spirals into pale blue skies. He dinked over the top of rushing defenders and he went searching for teammates in the corners. His first-half try came off a hoof into Saracens' red zone, one that caused chaos in the backfield. Chandler Cunningham-South gathered the loose ball and bulldozed over the gain line. Shortly after, Smith, on the front foot, wriggled past a tackler to dot down from five metres out.
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