Saracens proved to be the form team of the Heineken Cup with a comprehensive
defeat of former European champions Ulster at Vicarage Road.
The Watford club surged ahead with a run of impressive tries in the last
quarter of the match, following a dogged display of kicking in the first
period.
It was England stalwart Richard Hill's decisive 47th-minute try that injected
the spark into Saracens' stride.
His crucial five-point score came after Saracens' victorious line-out turned
into a rolling maul.
Hill, scoring his second try of the afternoon after an earlier score on 36
minutes, crashed over the Ulster goal-line, and with Frenchman Thomas
Castaignede's conversion the home side brought the score to 19-16 to Ulster.
The two sides then exchanged a further four penalties before Sarries' new
recruit, Australian fly-half Duncan McRae, scored just right of the post to take
the lead to 29-15. Castaignede duly converted before adding another penalty.
England international Dan Luger again proved to be a class act as he scored a
hat-trick of tries - his second of the season - in the last 15 minutes of the
game.
His three tries - all of which were converted by Castaignede - hammered the
nails into Ulster's coffin and gave the hosts a comfortable win and top spot in
Pool Two.
Teams
Saracens: Castaignede, O'Mahony, Johnston, Sorrell, Luger,
McRae, Bracken, Flatman, Russell, Wallace, Davison, Grewcock,
Chesney, Hill, Diprose.
Not Used: Roques, Cairns, Roche, Phillips, Arasa, Walshe, Sparg.
Tries: Hill 2, McRae, Luger 3.
Cons: Castaignede 5.
Pens: Castaignede 5.
Ulster: Henderson, J. Topping,
Constable, Stewart, Howe,
Humphreys, Free, Fitzpatrick, Weir, Best, Johns, Longwell,
D. Topping, Ward, McWhirter.
Not Used: Doak, Malone, Coulter, Boyd, Shields, Blair, McCarey.
Tries: Stewart.
Cons: Humphreys.
Pens: Humphreys 6.
Att: 11,258
Ref: C Giacomel (Italy).
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