Saracens know how to win Tompkins

WITH the Premiership run-in hotting up, Saracens centre Nick Tompkins claims ‘experience matters’ in these blockbuster end-of-season contests and says his side have regained their confidence after enduring a Jekyll and Hyde campaign thus far.

- BEN JAYCOCK

Reigning champions Saracens have a key advantage over their playoff rivals in terms of knowing what it takes as a squad to get over the line and proved it on Friday night with a hard-fought win over Bath at The Rec.

League leaders North- ampton last won the Premiership a decade ago, Harlequins’ only domestic title in 12 years came in 2021 when Sarries were in the Championship, Bristol have never been crowned champions of England, while Bath’s Courage League Division 1 triumph in 1996 came when the majority of their current squad weren’t born.

Mark McCall’s men have won five out of the last nine finals, only losing one to Leicester Tigers in 2022 but this season has been shaky, crashing out of Europe in the last 16 courtesy of a dismantling by Bordeaux Begles, while also suffering back-to-back Premiership defeats to start the season, as well as losses at home in crunch matches with Northampton and Bath.

However, due to the wealth of experience in their squad, Sarries are still the bookmakers title favourites but face a difficult final two games, away at in-form Bristol before hosting Sale Sharks in a repeat of last year’s final.

Tompkins, 29, has been with Saracens for 12 years and has been one of the league’s standout centres this term. He says the squad have rallied to make sure their frame of mind is right heading into their pivotal encounters.