06/08/2026 12:46 PM
It was the final round of games in the Gallagher Premiership and most eyes were focused at Devon as old foes Exeter Chiefs and Saracens did battle in what was a knockout (a quarter-final I suppose) at Sandy Park. Having attended the SSA meetup at the Blue Ball in a nearby village, I’d walked to the ground, cheered the team in and taken my spot in the east stand terrace ready for kick off. Big voice and flag ready, I was looking forward to what would be a proper grudge match. I was surrounded by a good 10/12 Sarries fans in the SE corner of the terrace, all cheering loud and proud with plenty of entertaining songs at the ready. SP has not been a happy hunting ground for us in recent times so I was determined to do my bit to help the team get the win.The Chiefs were occupying fourth spot, but Rob Baxter and his side knew that a win for Saracens and outgoing head coach Mark McCall would see the Londoners leapfrog them barring a few permutations. Either way, allowing Sarries the opportunity to win would cost them their spot in the playoffs. This was, in every sense, the match of the round. Clawing our way back to fourth place on the back of five consecutive wins and taking 24/25 available points were within touching distance of a semi-final at Northampton, a rematch of the SF 2 years ago. Henry Slade led the way as Exeter emerged emphatic 32-12 winners and they secured a Gallagher Prem play-off against Bath. The result was agonising. Saracens had the better of the first half, played some of their best rugby of the season, and were desperately unfortunate to go in behind. Exeter grew into the contest, took control after half-time and exposed a Saracens side that ran out of ideas, carriers and ultimately belief as the game slipped away. Exeter were the better team so congrats to them on the win, but the manner in which we lost was deeply frustrating. | TheSaracens.com : Unofficial Saracens news, views and message boards.
