- Bristol 9-26 Saracens
- Lozowski kicks seven penalties in ominous display
So much for new horizons. This was the same old Saracens – suffocating, stifling and ultimately supremely successful. On their return to the Premiership after a season of shame in the second tier they ground Bristol down before breaking their spirit to give the rest of the league a reminder of just how bloody-minded they can be. That it came without the razzle-dazzle that marked the climax to last season’s Premiership will not bother them in the slightest. In fact, they will relish it.
That they did so in front of more than 19,000 supporters – the biggest UK rugby crowd for 18 months – will make their manner of victory all the sweeter and their statement all the louder. The fact that they made it when missing so many star names is all the more ominous for their rivals.
