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Mark McCall admits Six Nations impacted Saracens' defeat by Leinster as feel-good factor sweeps across Ireland

Saracens players leave the field dejected after the defeat by Leinster: Getty
Saracens players leave the field dejected after the defeat by Leinster: Getty

Mark McCall admitted that the effect of Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam could well have helped Leinster end his side’s two-year reign as European champions after Saracens were knocked out of the Champions Cup, dealing English rugby its second major blow at the hands of the Irish in the space of two weeks.

Just 15 days after Ireland clinched the Grand Slam at Twickenham, Leinster reiterated why they hold the favourites tag to win the Champions Cup this season, beating back-to-back champions Saracens 30-19 to end English interests in the competition.

McCall admitted he was disappointed with how his side failed to take their chances, but accepted that the better side won on the day and that Leinster’s chances may well have been boosted by the good-feel attitude currently surrounding Irish rugby.

It’s probably going to have some sort of effect you’d have thought,” McCall said after Saracens’ first European knockout defeat in seven games. “We’ve had the luxury of having our players coming back over the last two seasons having won a Grand Slam and having won the championship [with England], coming back into European finals in great form physically and emotionally. I’m sure Leinster benefitted from that as well.”

Despite missing the likes of Billy Vunipola, Michael Rhodes, Vincent Koch, Calum Clark and Will Skelton, Saracens were well in the game at half-time, with four Owen Farrell penalties making up for their sluggish start as Garry Rongrose scored the opening try inside four minutes. Having shaded both possession and territory, Saracens should actually have lead at the break, but the decision to turn down two penalties – albeit difficult ones from wide left – to kick to the corner came back to haunt them when they coughed up possession as the clock turned red.

Owen Farrell clashes with Johnny Sexton (Getty)
Owen Farrell clashes with Johnny Sexton (Getty)

Obviously we’re disappointed, the first half it felt like a real even game, we responded very well to the bad start that we had which was the first try,” McCall added. “We had a chance just before half-time when it went to a one-point game and didn’t convert that.”

While Saracens could easily be accused of starting the second-half as sluggishly as they did the first, Leinster had to be applauded for stepping up through the gears and they got their just desserts through tries from Dan Leavy and James Lowe along with a Johnny Sexton penalty.

Leinster beat Saracens 30-19 to end their two-year reign as European champions (Getty)
Leinster beat Saracens 30-19 to end their two-year reign as European champions (Getty)

“We started the second half poorly, gave away 10 points in the first five or six minutes and it just felt like the kind of game where it was tough to chase down a team like Leinster that had an 11-point lead,” said McCall. “We tried very hard to, but look we’re a little bit disappointed that their two tries that they scored weren’t as a result of relentless pressure and us being under the pump, they felt like they were tries that we could have been avoided.

“We had a lot of possession of the ball ourselves and in fairness to Leinster they defended superbly all day.”

Saracens’ exit means that the Premiership will have no representatives in the last four for the first time since 2012, further casting a shadow on the way the game in England is falling behind its closest rivals after the dreadful showing in the Six Nations, and the perfect contrast to that is the fact that an all-Irish final remains a possibility with Leinster now taking on Scarlets in the semi-finals and Munster travelling to France to face Racing 92 following their dramatic victory over Clermont Auvergne.

Blair Cowan scores a consolation try for Saracens (Getty)
Blair Cowan scores a consolation try for Saracens (Getty)

McCall had a word of warning for all of those teams that harbour hopes of halting Leinster’s relentless charge this season. “I think they’re outstanding, they were the best team in the pool stages. When we analysed them there are not many weaknesses to find, they were good today, they had to defend for a long time and they defended really well and they’ve got some people on their team that can really hurt you in attack as well so a really well rounded team.

“I thought they were just too good for us on the day.”