Saracens 42-17 Benetton Treviso
Saracens got their Heineken Cup campaign off to a winning start on Sunday afternoon with a 42-17 bonus point win over Benetton Treviso.
While Sarries were always likely to beat their Italian visitors, the game had the potential to be a banana skin and scupper The Men In Blacks’ chances before the cup competition had really got under way.
The home side looked dominant from the start, and when outside centre Owen Farrell pounced on a spilled ball over the Treviso line, Saracens scored their opening try.
More points from Farrell’s boot gave the Men In Black a 16-3 lead at the interval, and Saracens picked up where they left off in the second half as a lovely inside ball found winger David Strettle on an arching run to go in under the posts.
Soon after, Chris Wyles squeezed over in the corner, before a set move saw Ernst Joubert crash over for Saracens’ fourth.
The final try came after a series of Sarries drives had built the pressure – new signing and ex-Springbok Captain John Smit made a good drive and crashed over to score on his debut for the club, giving the hosts the win.
It was a strong performance from the home side who looked clinical throughout.
Some strong attacking play was combined with the usual solid defence, although some lapses in concentration late in the game allowed Treviso to come back with two strong tries of their own.
Saracens face Biarritz away next week and will need to maintain the same level of intensity to remain at the top of their pool.