Earl double gets Sarries up and running

Ben Earl scored a second-half double as Saracens responded to their opening-day defeat with a 24-10 Premiership win at Leicester Tigers on Sunday.

Sarries started the defence of their title by losing at home to Northampton Saints last weekend, but they tamed the Tigers at Welford Road.

The Premiership and European champions were without Ben Spencer after the scrum-half was called up to the England squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup final as a replacement for the injured Willi Heinz.

The London club also lost full-back Alex Goode for up to four months with a pectoral tear this week but showed their strength in depth by outscoring Leicester by three tries to one.

Nick Tompkins rounded off a well-worked move to score the only try of a first half that ended with Mark McCall’s men leading 10-3 and Earl ran 30 metres to go under the posts seven minutes after the interval.

Adam Thompstone’s intercept try midway through the second half reduced the deficit to seven points, but Earl grabbed his second late on to seal it for Sarries.

Full Time

A brace from Ben Earl helps Sarries to a 10-24 win away at Welford Road pic.twitter.com/cWdbvOKeD1

— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) October 27, 2019

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