In a thrilling match, London Irish defeated Saracens, their first Premiership team of the season, after surviving a stretch with only 12 players Rugby.
Chandler Cunningham-South and Ollie Hassell-Collins crossed for the Irish, and Paddy Jackson kicked 19 points. Both teams were penalized for high tackles.
Jackson converted both scores as Irish prevailed after converting five penalties against an indisciplined Sarries.
Kapeli Pifeleti and Sean Maitland facilitated the Scrappy Sarries’ passage.
When Exiles captain Adam Coleman’s shoulder came into contact with hooker Tom Woolstencroft’s head, he left in the first 40 minutes, and Saracens back rower Ben Earl also left after failing to wrap and coming into contact with Woolstencroft’s head in the first half, which lasted about an hour.
After the powerful blow, Woolstencroft was kicked out, but McCall, the match director for rugby, said that he was “up and about.”
Sarries remain ten points ahead of Sale, who are currently in second place, despite losing to Newcastle.
Declan Kidney will have been thrilled to see Irish finish on the right side of the scoreboard after losing by less than five points to Leicester, Exeter, Harlequins, and Gloucester.
This was only their third win of the time, and was the result of immense heart and take steps to knock off the association chiefs and deny them a losing-reward point of their own.
They had Coleman sent off, sin-bins for Rory Jennings and Rob Simmons within minutes of each other in the second half brought their total to 12, and they overcame the injury that forced them to play without Will Joseph for much of the game.
Flyhalf Jackson was buzzing on the back of their dominance with incisive carries as they dominated the set-piece, harrying the visitors’ line-out and forcing a slew of free kicks at the scrum.
Hassell-Collins’ bump and spin finish out wide was caused by Ben Loader’s sneaky kick to the back of the field, and Tom Pearson’s wild run in the final minute set up Cunningham-South’s power over.
However, Saracens, who had won their first nine Premiership games of the season, were frustrated by the hosts’ defensive mentality in the face of a relentless attack.
Mark McCall’s Sarries had passed their European examinations against Edinburgh and Lyon in recent weeks, despite this being their first league game since November.
At Brentford however, the set-piece issues hurt them, while the heavenly back division of Elliot Daly, Owen Farrell and Alex Goode couldn’t convey a sufficient danger when the mathematical benefit was with them.
After an Exiles penalty gave them field position just before the break, Pifeleti ground his way over, and Lucio Sinti messed up Daly’s kick for Maitland’s score.
But in the end, Irish kept them at arm’s length for a priceless victory despite coming within a score.
“It was a fascinating game to watch, with lots of ups and downs; the events that took place there actually surprised me. We have been knocking on the door, but tonight we received a small reward. There were a lot of pivotal moments in this match, which made it so entertaining, and you can look at them.
“Working with the guys is such a pleasure. This evening, we gave up an attacking position, had them held up over the line, and had a goalline drop out. However, those minor adjustments do make a significant difference.
Even though there has been some difficulty, I’m just happy for everyone in the organization because one swallow does not make a summer. The aggregate exertion of everyone was incredible