Sarries boss demands 'response' after devastating setback

REACTION: Mark McCall urged Saracens to use the pain from their record 10-68 Premiership loss to Bath at the weekend as fuel to get back on track.

The six-time English champions endured their worst-ever loss in the top tier as leaders Bath ran riot at the Recreation Ground.

Saracens conceded 10 tries as they collapsed following the sending-off of flank Toby Knight after just 14 minutes, while Nick Isiekwe and Theo McFarland suffered game-ending injuries.

Saracens’ Rugby Director, McCall, admitted the devastating loss was a major setback, but he still expects a strong response from his shell-shocked players.

“Today [Saturday] is a big moment because when these thunderbolts come along, it is how you respond to it which defines the rest of the season,” he said.

“The experience is ugly and horrible, to be honest.

“We were disappointed with how we reacted to being down to 14 men, but there were a lot of moving parts with the injuries we got.

“It is a younger group, and they are not accustomed to being on the back of something like that.

“It will sting for the weekend, but we have got to get back together.”

Bath earned an early penalty try before Thomas du Toit, Cameron Redpath and Will Muir touched down, while Finn Russell kicked three conversions.

Joe Cokanasiga scored two tries after the interval, with Ollie Lawrence and Sam Underhill also touching down as Muir completed his hat-trick, while Russell booted five more conversions.

Kapeli Pifeleti’s late try and a Fergus Burke penalty and conversion were no consolation for the overwhelmed Saracens.

Bath is five points at the top of the Premiership ahead of a trip to reigning champions Northampton Saints on January 5.

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Northampton will be in fine fettle for that clash after Trevor Davison scored two tries against his former club in a 61-0 rout of Newcastle.

The Saints had lost their last three league games, leaving them well adrift of the pace-setters.

Davison inspired the response Northampton sought, with the champions running in nine tries at Franklin’s Gardens.

“We’ve had periods of this sort of quality throughout the season,” Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson said.

“We’re a very capable group, we just haven’t been able to do it more.”

Dan Cole’s last-gap try salvaged a dramatic 34-all draw for Leicester against Harlequins in front of a sell-out crowd at Twickenham.

Harlequins were on course for victory when Cadan Murley ran in the second of his two tries in the 69th minute.

But Leicester used their pack to pound away as Cole crept over with a minute left before Handre Pollard booted the crucial conversion in off the post.