Vunipola holds nerve as last-gasp Sarries down Irish

Manu Vunipola kicked a last-gasp penalty to secure a dramatic 16-13 win for Saracens over London Irish at Allianz Park in the Premiership on Saturday.

On a day when cousins Billy and Mako suffered Rugby World Cup final heartache with England, Vunipola was the hero for the reigning champions – but only after he flirted with playing the role of villain.

Mark McCall’s side were 8-6 ahead at the break, Alex Lozowski’s penalty and a try from Titi Lamositele coming between a pair of three-pointers from the boot of Stephen Myler.

Irish initially turned the tables after the break as Albert Tuisue dotted down at the end of a driving maul and Myler added the extras. 

But, with time running out, Ben Earl forced his way over to tie it up and, though Vunipola was wayward with a twice-taken conversion, he split the posts with a penalty that proved to be the last action of the game.

FULL TIME | Sarries fought until the very last minute and managed to clinch the win!
pic.twitter.com/kJJJ3hQeDf

— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) November 2, 2019

In the other two games, both Leicester Tigers and Wasps picked up their first wins of the season.

The Tigers dished out a first defeat of the campaign to Gloucester, triumphing 16-13, while Wasps overcame Bath 30-22.

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