And so, the domestic season begins to draw to a close. 26 rounds and two semi-finals down. The stage is set. Twickenham is ready, and so are Leicester Tigers and Saracens.
For this season, it is perhaps the most fitting final one could put together. One that has so naturally created the narrative of hero vs villain that sporting fans invariably crave for even if they don’t know it.
Saracens have long been the Premiership’s, nay, rugby’s chief antagonist. Their success has nurtured loathing. A loathing which doubled after their salary subterfuge saw the light of day. It will likely triple if they claim the Premiership title upon their return to the top flight.
But they wear that resentment like a ribbon. The hatred hanging from their necks like the myriad of medals they’ve collected. The players, coaches, and fans alike have endured plenty of stick. The smorgasbord of memes and jokes flung around the Twittersphere will have only hardened their siege mentality. Hate them more, it’ll just spur them forward.
Hostility is energy to them. And it will pulse through the likes of Owen Farrell et al as they bid to reclaim what they believe is rightfully theirs.
It will be quite the achievement if they do, but a resurrection it is not. Had Saracens’ star-studded squad splintered apart once they embarked on their Championship gap year; if the likes of Maro Itoje and Farrell understandably left for greener grasses, only for the the club to return to the Premiership and book themselves a place in the final instantly, then we would rightly be lauding such a feat as miraculous. A revival of seismic proportions.
The truth, really, is not so hyperbolic. As much as they may be portrayed as so, Saracens are not a phoenix rising from the ashes. They have not languished and toiled in rugby union’s lower echelons for an extended period and rebuilt themselves in a way similar to Bristol. A few names aside, the Wolfpack stuck around. Eager to renew their hunt for more trophies as a group. A few left on loan - notably Ben Earl, Max Malins, and Alex Lozowski - and all three returned sharper and with fresh triumphs.
To point all this out is not to disparage them, far from it. This is Saracens. And Saracens have done what Saracens, at least in the past decade, have tended to do - which is win.
If they win this weekend, the probable response from those who won’t be so full of ire may be one of distant nonchalance. An eyeroll. A placid reaction to the reminder that this is English domestic rugby, where Saracens rule supreme. They’ve swept Harlequins to the side, who so rudely dared to sit on their throne in their absence. Now, they must handle a revitalised Leicester. A resurrection? No, merely a return to regularly scheduled programming.
A former title-winning Saracen himself, Leicester Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick is the man hoping to overthrow their Premiership empire before they even have a chance to re-establish it.
It is perhaps rather insulting of this writer to claim that of the two sides in this year’s final showdown, Borthwick’s Tigers are likely the more surprising entrant. But this is the truth. Saracens may have fallen into the Championship, but it was a tumble caused by transactional chaos rather than organisational or on-pitch performances the likes that the Tigers suffered.
Borthwick, as we all know by now, has masterminded a momentous shift of fortunes for Leicester. Admittedly, a slither of ironic luck has its place here. If not for Saracens’ scandal, it might well have been Leicester, English rugby’s great institution, who spent a year rubbing shoulders with Ealing and Doncaster.
But the man who is widely seen as Eddie Jones’ successor is the primary catalyst for his team’s resurgence, who only two seasons ago finished 12th for a second season running.
In football, where the past decade has seen a rapid advancement in the tactical and statistical discussion of the game, the idea of a player’s mentality has fallen to the wayside ever so slightly. Still prominent, of course, but not quite as prevalent in conversation - an old fashioned facet of the game wheeled out by ex-pros and pundits who have little else to offer.
In rugby union’s comparatively archaic environment, a player’s psyche is still of great importance. An understandable factor considering the physical nature of the game, where collision is king.
Saracens’ mentality is built on spite and confidence. Borthwick has restored Leicester’s by re-instilling what Tigers have always been, regardless of quality - gritty, determined, and unyielding. As he said this week, it started to be forged in his first game at the club, a loss against Exeter Chiefs, and encapsulated by a single word - “fight”. From there, he’s been able to improve team cohesion and better them tactically, leading them to a first Premiership final since 2013.
"All the technical and tactical aspects of what you want to do as a team lies secondary to characteristics you have as a team," Borthwick said. 1
Much like he’s contributed to a steady foundation off the pitch, he’s created a solid one on it. Diligently sculpting a game plan built on smart kicking, set-piece precision, and a vigorous defence. The backs led by the masterful George Ford, and the forwards captained by the rampaging Ellis Genge.
That defence, which Leeds Rhinos great Kevin Sinfield has finetuned into a cornerstone of Borthwick’s success, will obviously be vital against Saracens. Although, not in the way it was against a side such as Northampton. Saracens won’t strike Tigers with a swarm of multi-phase attacks like the Saints do.
Mark McCall and his side are masters of pragmatism, and the Irishman will be all too aware of the confidence Leicester will gain by repeatedly knocking back the likes of Elliot Daly and Nick Tompkins. Make no mistake, Saracens will run at Leicester. The aforementioned Daly and Tompkins, alongside the sharp running lines of Earl and Malins - all bolstered by Farrell’s distribution - will be key. But it won’t be drawn out. They’ll test the waters. Looking for potential openings, before Aled Davies boxkicks away for the territorial battle to begin.
The kicking game itself will be a skirmish to savour. Ford’s arsenal is diverse and dangerous - full of chips, spirals, and grubbers that have pierced Premiership sides all season. Not only is it their accuracy, but the speed in which he chooses the appropriate kick. Within milliseconds of hitting his hands, the ball is driving into space, pinning back the opposition.
The tie is tantalising, and one that promises intense excitement. The clinical Saracens, as they have done so for some time now, will play the villains. Stern faced and resolute. Clad in black and confident that come 80 minutes, the trophy will be back at the StoneX.
Leicester, who at one time in history were the villains themselves, will arrive ready to cap off their fine season-long form with a deserved piece of silverware. To see off Ford and Genge in fine fashion and start a new, and hopefully successful, era for this great club.
Leicester Tigers rebuilt on 'fight', says Steve Borthwick - BBC Sport