David Rogers/Getty Images
Former All Black Tabai Matson with the English rugby premiership trophy won by Harlequins before he became the London club’s director of rugby.
Former Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd is heading home without a trophy after four years in England and Tabai Matson’s season has also ended without any silverware.
Boyd watched his Northampton Saints side lose 27-14 to the Leicester Tigers on Saturday (Sunday NZ time) in his final game as the Midlands club’s director of rugby.
Matson took over the director of rugby role at champions Harlequins this term, but they lost their semifinal to Saracens, 34-17 on Friday (Saturday NZ time).
Saracens’ victory means former Crusaders wing Sean Maitland is set to play in another Premiership final at Twickenham.
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Henry Browne/Getty Images
Ben Earl shows his delight with one of his three tries in Saracens’ semifinal win over Harlequins.
The 33-year-old former Scotland international lined up on the right wing against Harlequins in a backline boasting England stars Owen Farrell, Eliot Daly and Max Malins and Wales test centre Nick Tompkins.
Openside flanker Ben Earl – the Premiership player of the year but unwanted by England coach Eddie Jones – scored a hat-trick of tries for Saracens, who had to overcome a nine-point deficit.
Tompkins and Wales scrumhalf Aled Davies also scored.
Henry Browne/Getty Images
Nick Tompkins of Saracens goes over to score.
Saracens had three players sinbinned in the second half – Daly, No 8 Billy Vunipola and Alex Lozowski – and were at times defending with just 13 men, but Harlequins could not capitalise.
Quins’ Kiwi backs coach Nick Evans said the former champions were “a little bit inaccurate at times’’ and Saracens “put us under a lot of pressure’’.
“I thought we struggled to make inroads in tha
…. to be continued
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