Sustained AEI pressure finally paid off with inside centre Nick Elliott taking a crash ball on the halfway line, breaking the defence and slipping the ball to outside centre Rich Pinks to run it in. Saracens hit back with a try and conversion after a good period of pressure but AEI sneaked a try close to half-time with winger Neil Morgan running the length of the pitch to score.
The second half was a different story. The possession was all Saracens with their forwards in control but stout AEI defence kept them out. On one of the few AEI sorties into the opposition half, Mark McDonough scored from a quickly taken penalty, and into injury time a last fling from AEI resulted in a maul ten metres from the line. Tim Sly, now standing in as scrum half, flipped the ball out to Elliott who threw a delightful dummy (not out of his pram for a change – AGC) and drove over the line for the final score.
(Match report by the Elliott/Sly twins as if you couldn’t have guessed.)
Team photo and Andy Sullivan action shot (!) from Rugby Observer to follow.