Saracens find old fighting spirit to terrify Toulouse

Perhaps the days of Saracens as an Investec Champions Cup force are not quite as distant as they had seemed.

- HARRY LATHAM-COYLE AT THE STONEX STADIUM

Seven years on from their last European title, here was a scalp to savour, the hosts snarling with the attitude of old in a significant win over Toulouse.

Last week, director of rugby Mark McCall had read his side the riot act after a distinctly limp defeat to Leicester, lacking in the wolfpack mentality that had taken his team to three titles in four seasons in the inglorious glory years. Here, that mindset was back most forcefully as a cohesive collective overcame Antoine Dupont, Jack Willis et al to leave the hosts' route to the latter stages more straightforward than that of their visitors.

A 20-14 win for Saracens takes them to third in Pool 1, with a chance to top the pool with a bonus-point victory at Glasgow next weekend. If Toulouse can attest to such a feat being far from straightforward, consecutive defeats for a presumed powerhouse has left Ugo Mola's side with a top-two finish looking distant and progress at all not assured with a home fixture against Sale to come.

"The frustrating thing this year is that we haven't been showing up in the manner we are accustomed to," Saracens captain Maro Itoje reflected after a honesty meeting between players and staff in the week. “One thing about our team is that we are quite reflective and somewhat transparent. We didn't hide, or skirt over any issues. We spoke about how we felt, where we are as a team and what we need to do to be better.