Evergreen Strettle Helps Saracens Keep Pressure On Exeter

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Evergreen Strettle helps Saracens keep pressure on Exeter

London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Dec, 2018 ) :Veteran wing David Strettle's fourth try of the season guided champions Saracens to a hard fought 25-17 win over struggling Worcester Warriors in their Premiership clash on Saturday.

The 35-year-old former English international joined Saracens this season after three years with French giants Clermont and touched down in the 66th minute to give them some breathing space.

Victory saw Saracens move to within a point of leaders Exeter -- who only last week had thrashed the champions 31-13 -- after the Chiefs had slipped to a 31-28 defeat at the hands of Northampton Saints on Friday.

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall was delighted in the manner in which his players had responded after they trailed 14-0.

"Having lost last weekend, not playing great, to be 14-0 down, it's a good test and I think we came through the test very well," he said.

"Today was just one of those things -- the more important thing for me is how we responded.

"I felt that we were then the dominant team for the next 60 minutes or so, had a lot of ball, a lot of field position." Worcester had at one point looked on course for only their second win at Saracens -- the previous one dating back to November 2006 -- when tries from Duncan Weir and England centre Ben Te'o put them into a comfortable 14-0 lead.

However, a penalty from Owen Farrell and a try by Mako Vunipola got Saracens back into the match and they went in front for the first time 12 minutes into the second-half through a try by Calum Clark.

Worcester remain embroiled in a battle to avoid the drop just a point above Newcastle.

The top two have opened up quite a gap on the rest even more so with third-placed Gloucester going down to a 30-15 home defeat at the hands of Sale Sharks.

The visitors ran in four tries -- including one apiece by England wing Chris Ashton and South Africa scrum-half Faf de Klerk -- to leave Gloucester 14 points adrift of Saracens.

Northampton produced one of the upsets of the season to beat league leaders Exeter 31-28 at Franklin's Gardens on Friday.

Wales international Dan Biggar scored 16 points for the Saints, including a try, penalty and four conversions, with South Africa's Cobus Reinach, Fraser Dingwall and Piers Francis also crossing for the home side as Northampton secured a bonus point.

But Exeter came away with bonus points of their own thanks to tries from Argentina's Santiago Cordero and the English duo of Matt Kvesic and Ben Moon. Gareth Steenson converted all three scores, with Exeter also scoring a penalty try.