Sarries rout sorry Quins

Saracens continued their recent Premiership stranglehold over Harlequins with a clinical display at the Stoop, as veteran flyhalf Charlie Hodgson pulled the strings in a dominant 39-0 victory.

Hodgson kicked three penalties and converted his own try as Saracens heading into the half-time break 16-0 to the good.

And they didn't let up on their hosts after the restart as Chris Ashton and Will Fraser both scored tries, while Harlequins were kept scoreless at the other end.

Saracens have now lost just once to Quins in their last 12 encounters, with few victories as one-sided as this one.

After a nervy first 10 minutes where both sides took the opportunity to feel each other out, Hodgson had his first kick at the posts after Harlequins were offside in the tackle, and the veteran flyhalf made no mistake to put his side ahead.

Saracens then looked certain to score the first try of the game on 20 minutes as Duncan Taylor sped towards the line after being put in by Goode, however Harlequins fullback Mike Brown got back just in the nick of time to get the tackle in.

However from the resulting scrum Sinckler was penalised and Hodgson added the easy three-pointer to double Saracens' lead.

And five minutes later Hodgson was converting his own try after charging down Nick Evans' kick and running unopposed to dot down under the posts.

Hodgson was at the centre of all things good for the visitors and he then put in a big kick upfield that saw Ashton and Ollie Lindsay-Hague get involved in a race to the ball.

And while the Quins man won the sprint he was pinged for holding on and Hodgson added another easy penalty.

On 33 minutes Evans finally had a chance to get Harlequins on the scoreboard but his penalty flew wide of the posts and Sarries led 16-0 at half-time.

Hodgson's fine game was spoiled moments after the restart as he was yellow carded for a deliberate knock on. However Ben Botica, a half-time replacement for Evans, saw the resulting penalty bounce back off the right post.

And Harlequins couldn't make their man advantage count as despite territory and possession they actually fell further behind as Goode kicked a 49th minute penalty.

It was a similar story just after the hour mark as Hodgson stretched Saracens' lead even further despite the home side being on top.

Saracens almost grabbed a second try of the game as Brad Barritt charged down a Botica clearance, but the centre couldn't quite get over the line. In stopping him Rob Buchanan was yellow carded and Hodgson once again sent a three-point through the uprights.

And things kept getting worse for Harlequins as with ten minutes remaining Ashton raced onto a hack forward by Taylor for a try, replacement Owen Farrell adding the extras.

But Saracens weren't done there, turning the screw with five minutes left as Fraser burrowed over, Farrell again adding the conversion for the final points of the game.

The scorers:

For Harlequins:

None

For Saracens:

Tries: Hodgson, Ashton, Fraser

Cons: Hodgson, Farrell 2

Pens: Hodgson 5, Goode

Yellow cards: Charlie Hodgson (Saracens, 42), Alistair Hargreaves (Saracens, 54), Rob Buchanan (Harlequins, 62)

Teams:

Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Marland Yarde, 13 Matt Hopper, 12 Jordan Turner-Hall, 11 Ollie Lindsay-Hague, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Chris Robshaw, 6 Luke Wallace, 5 George Robson, 4 Charlie Matthews, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Joe Gray, 1 Joe Marler (captain).

Replacements: 16 Rob Buchanan, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Will Collier, 19 George Merrick, 20 Jack Clifford, 21 Karl Dickson, 22 Ben Botica, 23 Charlie Walker.

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 David Strettle, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Richard Wigglewsorth, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Will Fraser, 6 Jackson Wray, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 George Kruis, 3 Kieran Longbottom, 2 Jamie George, 1 Richard Barrington.

Replacements: 16 Scott Spurling, 17 Rhys Gill, 18 Petrus Du Plessis, 19 Mouritz Botha, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Chris Wyles.

Referee: Wayne Barnes

Assistant referees: Paul Dix, Ashley Rowden

TMO: David Grashoff