Sarries embrace underdog tag

 

After finishing a driving maul late in the first half, the flying Sarries winger scored three times in a pulsating five-minute period to lay the foundations for a bonus-point victory over London Welsh that saw Mark McCall's men leapfrog Exeter Chiefs on a dramatic final day.

 

Billy Vunipola, David Strettle, Mako Vunipola, Alex Goode, Juan Figallo and Charlie Hodgson all added their names to the scoresheet, while early efforts from Nic Reynolds and Chris Elder were scant consolation as Welsh ended the campaign without a win in the Premiership.

 

The result means a repeat of last year's memorable final, in which Northampton won the title with the final play of the game, while Bath will host Leicester Tigers in the other final-four encounter.

 

And while he was delighted with the dominant display of his team at the Kassam Stadium, Ashton admits they may not be expected to thrive at Franklin's Gardens next Saturday.

 

"It is definitely going to be tough heading to Northampton next week," he said.

 

"I think they are in the position we were in last year – all the pressure is on them. We've come fourth now, we know the task ahead.

 

"We've had a good couple of games between us, we're looking to the challenge and we know the pressure isn't really on us.

 

"We tried not to panic early on here because Welsh have done well all season against the big teams and tend to get a couple of tries before half-time.

 

"We stayed calm as much as we could, we hoped we would have the fitness over them and we managed to get it at the end," he added.

 

While Saracens were able to celebrate achieving their primary aim for the day, Welsh were unable to provide a fairytale Premiership send-off for Tom May.

 

The hosts' bright start – they only trailed 26-17 at the break – suggested they could end their duck for the season at the last time of asking, and while they failed to capitalise in the second half, head coach Rowland Phillips insists there will be positives to take from the season.

 

"There is a lot of stuff to build on as the majority of our players on show here will be available next season," he said.

 

"For all the players involved it's been a very tough Premiership season, but it will serve them well for the future of this club."