Saracens win Euro rugby's Champions Cup

That was a pre - season game so not really fair to compare. There is a gulf in skills and pace between super rugby and premiership and top 14. I mean just look at the average players that saracens have like brad Barritt, that are made to look half decent in the premiership and championship.

Amazing that he got outplayed by Farrell then...

Yes it's amazing how good those sides are in comparison mode.

The same Highlanders who lost to Racing?

Saracens would get smashed by the highlanders and a load of other super rugby teams

Racing were badly let down by Castrogiavanni's unprofessional behaviour. Being caught in Vegas with PSG when he was on bereavement leave to go back to Argentina while the semi was on. Racing's scrum was brutal and costed them field position.

Seeing Saracrens win the European Champions Cup Final, I wouldn't mind if the Grand Final winner of the Super Rugby tournament in the Southern Hemisphere faces off against Saracrens at ie Twickenham for the right to be known as the World Rugby Club Champions.

The difference was the 2011 rwc final was full of running rugby aNd adventure from both

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/carter-discusses-injury-struggle/

You should watch the AB's 2008 loss to the Wallabies and think again.

" The top ten teams in SR will beat them any day. " You're a 'Rookie', your handle is 'Nobrain' and you're wearing a clowns nose. Yep

When Carter has a rubbish pack he gets pulversized...Overated....Well Done Owen..

I was really looking forward to this game. Real shame about the rain

One more reason to change the calendar, would you dare to compare that final with the game Highlanders vs Crusaders two nights ago. I cannot see the entreteinment of the final but the hula hula the press makes before the game building up false expectations about what you actually are going to see.

'overall, even conditions considered, the lack of invention or adventure even with good field position was quite noticeable – the running into contact rather than running at gaps habits were well evident from both sides.' Agree with some of that. Saracens centres are hard-working rather than creative (particularly Barritt). However, I have seen Saracens play some very nice. open stuff this year. I've seen Racing be very good as well, but always when they totally dominate the gain line. I think, apart from the conditions, the side's styles did not complement each other in terms of a likely spectacle. Both are very abrasive and physical. I think Saracens looked at the conditions; reckoned they could out-muscle Racing, and concluded that a safety first game plan would give them a 80% chance of winning. A pragmatic, finals approach that delivered.

Carter was clearly carrying injuries. It was probably a mistake to pick him, legend or not, given that he was so clearly unfit.

I watched the Lions and the Blues game. The Lions were getting over the advantage line at will against surprisingly weak defence. If either Racing or Saracens had been that weak on the advantage line, the other would have racked up tries as well.

Agree lander. I like Owens but for whatever reason many french (club and nt supporters) think he is Anglo biased. Imo he wasn't the reason why racing lost last night though. Re Carter, he was injured and imo should never have played. He (he felt he was ok before the game) and racing coaches got that wrong, they should have moved Goosen to 10 and played Chavancy (or rokocoko) and dumoulin in the centres. Problem is racing felt they had to play their million dollar man, injured or not. That's what happens when you have one star in your team, you think he's the messiah even on one leg and want to overuse him to please sponsors, fans etc. that was imo a 100% motivated business decision to play him and that was the wrong one. And something that french don't like is seeing a player smile or look disinterested during a final when he is benched and that's what happened with DC. Hard working southerners are held in much higher regard there than pure talented ones and DC is seen as a bit of a diva. Anyway, racing millionaires have only themselves to blame, they knew DC had played a SR, RC, RWC and now full top 14 season. Just too much for a guy in his 30s.

Sarries defence is one of the toughest to break down in tight matches. If you carry tightly to try and can ground their backrow will swarm in and win the penalty As for Carter he's been outstanding for Racing this season. He was playing on one leg in this match behind a beaten pack and couldn't kick for goal. He had a good semi. He was middling for the Crusaders probably due to the fact he was pulled out of Super Rugby on NZRU paid holidays and came back underdone. This season he's probably played more sub test Rugby then he has over the last 7 years. Racing do have young replacements for him Goosen and Tales. Goosen was playing 13 due to injuries.

the one that irked many was when Dimitri S came around the ruck and attacked a ball that was lying at last feet becoz there was no scrum half and owens gave a penalty to Sarries. the ball was clearly out and i saw many refs in the week end let other players do just that :) his face said it - he knew it was a mistake but then he is NIGEL OWENS !!! there were many times when racing had a dominant player at a tackle with hands on the ball , only for Owens to ignore and then penalize racing for hands in the ruck. it was a complete screwjob. the thing is , he was simillarly rubbish against racing in the semi as well.