Saracens sent an ominous warning to the rest of the Investec Champions Cup field as they crushed Clermont 47-10 in London.
The result underlines the scale of the task awaiting the Sharks in Durban next week.
Sarries were dominant from the opening whistle, running in seven tries despite being without star names such as Maro Itoje, Ben Earl, Jamie George and Juan Martín González. But their forward pack delivered a statement performance.
“Our scrum held up very well again today but more than that, we actually dominated,” said Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall. “Their maul was a big threat and our maul defence was superb. It was our forwards who laid the platform.”
Try-scorer and Man of the Match Hugh Tizard said: “We’ve got a really competitive pack, and that shows on the pitch.”
The highlight of the match was a Noah Caluori solo try but the platform was laid by a dominant forward pack which spells trouble for the Sharks who will hope to have Springboks stars like Siya Kolisi, Bongi Mbonambi, Ethan Hooker and Andre Esterhuizen back.
The Sharks face six-time champions Toulouse at the Ernest Wallon Stadium on Sunday before travelling home to prepare for the visit of Saracens.
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
