- Saracens won away at Bristol on Saturday after being 15 points behind
- Alex Lozowski scored the winning penalty with the final kick of the game
- The result saw Saracens move to the top of the Gallagher Premiership table
In a clash between the Premiership’s heavyweights, it was Alex Lozowski who delivered the knockout blow at Ashton Gate.
With the clock deep into the red, the Saracens centre landed the match-winning penalty that ended the brave resistance of the Bears and put his side top of the table.
Lozowski sealed a superb fightback by Sarries, who trailed by 15 points early in the second half.
This was top-flight rugby at its best. Both sides hammered into one another from the outset — with the outcome unknown until the death of this brutal bout.
‘It was an amazing, backs-to-the-wall victory because we had to show real fighting spirit,’ said Saracens coach Mark McCall.
‘We had to contend with a lot this week, some injuries and illness, but the guys have all come through at various points. It’s a great win because their attack is superb. It’s unique in world rugby.’
Saracens won 37-35 at Bristol on Saturday after being 15 points behind in the second half
Alex Lozowski scored the winning penalty with the final kick of the game at Ashton Gate
Bristol’s last-gasp hero last week at Exeter, wing Gabriel Ibitoye, this time gave Saracens their late chance with his needless attempt to thwart an attack resulting in the award of the match-winning penalty.
This was a fight the Bears dominated for large periods, and the loss will surely be felt in the coming days. Led by a hat-trick of tries from skipper Fitz Harding, they seemed destined to take the spoils, as Harry Randall and Toby Fricker also scored tries.
For years, though, Saracens have been a side who never know when they are beaten. And, inspired by a brace of second-half tries from Elliot Daly, they hauled themselves off the canvas to record a notable scalp.
‘I’m proud of the effort and the way we played, but obviously we blew a lot of opportunities,’ said Pat Lam, Bristol’s director of rugby. ‘The one thing with Saracens is if you let them stay in the game, they always have a chance, that’s their history.’
Lam’s Bears flew out of the traps, taking the lead inside two minutes as Harding benefited from a crafty line-out move just metres from the Saracens line.
The Bears outscored Saracens 5-4 in terms of tries on Saturday but ended up losing the game
Saturday’s dramatic win saw Saracens move to the top of the Gallagher Premiership table
Although AJ MacGinty failed with the touchline conversion, he had no such issue finding the target moments later.
It was no more than the Bears deserved during a powerful opening, but when Ibitoye was shown yellow for a professional foul, Saracens used the resultant line-out to propel Toby Knight over for their first try.
Bristol were soon back on the offensive, Benjamin Elizalde shrugging off the attentions of a Sarries defender, before shipping the ball inside to Randall to score. Randall then came close to doubling his tally only for Saracens to turn over possession and strike at the other end, Rotimi Segun the scorer in the left corner.
Having seen a Fricker score ruled out for a foot in touch, there were no doubts about Harding’s second, the No 8 crashing over from close range to restore Bristol’s lead 20-17 at the break.
Harding claimed his third just 50 seconds into the second half, before Fricker put the Bears 15 points clear off a MacGinty pass.
Saracens hit back as Daly struck twice to set up a grandstand finale, wrapped up by Lozowski last-gasp kick.
