Saracens vs Gloucester LIVE: Reigning champions through to another Premiership final with crushing win
Follow the latest updates from the Premiership semi-final at Allianz Park
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Saracens will defend their Premiership title after defeating Gloucester 44-19 in a dominant display to book their place in next weekend's Twickenham showcase.
Gloucester briefly threatened an upset by scoring the first try of the match just three minutes into the semi-final through Ben Morgan, but the response from Saracens was emphatic as Sean Maitland, Ben Spencer and Liam Wiliams scored before the break.
The best was saved for the second half though, as Nick Tompkins came on to score a 28-minute hat-trick, with Gloucester scoring late consolations through Ruan Dreyer and Lewis Ludlow. Re-live the action below.
What time does it start?
Saracens vs Gloucester kicks off at 1:30pm on Saturday 25 May.
Where can I watch it?
The Premiership semi-final will be shown live on BT Sport 1 from 12:45pm.
What is the other semi-final?
Premiership table-toppers Exeter Chiefs take on Northampton Saints at 4.30pm.
Odds
Saracens: 1/6
Gloucester: 11/2
Draw (after 80 minutes): 25/1
What happens if it’s a draw?
There will be a five-minute break followed by a period of extra time of ten minutes each way, with a one-minute interval. If the scores remain equal, then the winner will be the team which has scored the most tries in the game (including extra time).
If the scores are level and the number of tries scored is equal, then there shall be a place kick competition. Each team nominates three kickers who will attempt to slot the ball through posts from six designated positions on the 10 and 22-metre lines. If the scores are tied after the six kicks for each team, it will go to “sudden death” from the middle of the 10-metre line. The three kickers must have been playing at the final whistle of extra time.
Teams
Saracens: Goode; Williams, Lozowski, Barritt, Maitland; Farrell, Spencer; Barrington, George, Koch; Skelton, Kruis; Itoje, Wray, B Vunipola.
Replacements: Gray, Adams-Hale, Judge, Isiekwe, Rhodes, Wigglesworth, Tompkins, Strettle.
Gloucester: Woodward; Sharples, Twelvetrees, Atkinson, Marshall; Cipriani, Heinz; Hohneck, Marais, Balmain; Slater, Mostert; Ackermann, Kriel, Morgan.
Replacements: Sherry, Rapava Ruskin, Dreyer, Savage, Ludlow, Polledri, Vellacott, Purdy.
49 mins: Cipriani just gets the ball away as Skelton closes him down and smokes him, and Gloucester quickly have the penalty as Tompkins commits a high tackle on Atkinson.
50 mins: What a try that is. Gloucester have possession in midfield but Itoje is all over the ball at the breakdown and it pops out with no Gloucester scrum-half in attendance. Skelton dives on the ball and Saracens go quickly. George feeds Goode, who commits Heinz and passes right to Lozowski.
The outside centre weights up his options and passes to Williams on the right, who returns the ball left to Farrell and he quickly delivers the finishing pass to Nick Tomkins to cruise over for his second and their fifth. 37-7
54 mins: Changes for both sides as Richard Wigglesworth replaces Spencer at scrum-half and Skelton is replaced by Nick Isiekwe, while Sharples comes off for Gloucester with Henry Purdy on.
59 mins: Another quickfire double.
Firstly, it's a 28-minute hat-trick for Nick Tompkins, as the dazzling footwork of Goode takes him to within a whisker of the try line. Itoje has a sniff, but the ball is quickly recycled and Tompkins stretches out to score his third since replacing Brad Barritt.
Gloucester finally respond though. Cipriani picks a nice pass to replacement prop Ruan Dreyer - just on the field for Balmain - and he beats last man Goode to score between the posts. Twelvetress adds the conversion. 44-14
68 mins: Well who saw this coming? Saracens have switched off a bit here, and Gloucester take full advantage as Twelvetrees offloads to replacement flanker Lewis Ludlow, who outpaced Farrell for the line to score. Farrell is left punching the turf in anger, but Twlevetrees shanks the conversion. 44-19
73 mins: A lovely moment from Goode sees him dance his way between two defenders and out of his own goal area, before kicking away to touch, but Gloucester soon have a penalty when Kruis tries to fly up in defence and commits a high tackle. Cipriani sends the ball to touch, but the lineout goes wrong and the ball is knocked on.
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