By Jason Harris
November 10 2002

A try deep into second half injury time by replacement prop Andy Kershaw gave Saracens a maximum five points against NEC Harlequins. But Sarries again went to sleep in the second half and squandered a 23 point lead before finally securing a 36-30 victory right at the death. With 35 minutes on the clock and Sarries over the horizon at 26-3, it was surely just going to be a matter of time before the Men in Black scored their fourth try to secure only their second bonus point of the year and run up a cricket score against the hapless Quins.

But once again, the Saracens second half form deserted them as the visitors took a 30-29 lead late on and looked like not only completing one of the greatest comebacks in Premiership history, but ending a 20-month period without an away win.

Man-of-the-match Andy Goode got Sarries off the mark with a penalty goal. Captain Kyran Bracken scored the opening try a couple of minutes later after taking a quick tap penalty and darting over. Goode converted to take the score to 10-0.

Tim Horan, who'll be sorely missed when he retires at the end of the season, rolled back the years with a vintage score shortly afterwards as he split open the Quins midfield defence for a 40 metre solo effort. Though Goode missed the extras, he did add a penalty to put his side 18-0 up.

Quins finally got off the mark after 25 minutes with a Nathan Williams penalty but their England 7s man Ben Gollings was sin-binned shortly afterwards for a high challenge on Sarries fullback Adey Winnan as they went up for a Garryowen. Goode duly restored the 18 point advantage as he kicked the three points on offer following the foul.

Righard Haughton put Sarries even further ahead just after half an hour when he rounded off a flowing backs move in the right hand corner. The conversion was missed, but at 26-3, Saracens were cruising and looking to bag a try bonus point before the half time whistle and a huge total by the end of the match.

But it was Quins, not Sarries, that scored a hatful of points from then onwards as they began the long, hard slog into the ascendancy.

Tries from Matt Moore on the stroke of half time, Andre Vos and Nick Duncombe early in the second period - the latter pair both converted by Williams - moved Quins to within four points of their hosts.

Though Goode nudged Sarries ahead the distance of a converted try with his fourth penalty of the afternoon, it still looked as if the home side were to collapse as they did in the previos game at Leeds and give away the points to their opponents.

Matt Moore's second try of the afternoon from a Gollings cross-field kick moved Quins to within two points at 29-27 and they finally got their noses ahead with six minutes left on the clock courtesy of another Williams penalty.

Sarries, once again about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, for once gathered enough momentum to take the game.

Horan was once again the instigator with another 40 metre run, only to be held up short. The Sarries forwards did the rest and Kershaw flopped over the whitewash to get five priceless points to win the game, and five priceless Zurich Premiership points that takes the Men in Black up to seventh in the ladder. Goode added the extras and the scoring was complete for day.

Coach Shelford, like many of the Saracens faithful in the crowd, was not happy with his side after yet another dreadful second half performance. Quoted on the BBC website, the former All-Black said "It needs special people to be leaders and we haven't got a lot of those at this club."

I'm sure that every Saracens fan there today or listening on the radio or online, will be absolutely perplexed as to why the team can perform like world beaters in the first half, and the local under 12s minus half their line-up in the second.

Many coaches this year have been quoted as saying they're always disappointed that their sides cannot perform for the whole 80 minutes. Shelford, it seems, has a lot of work to do to get his side to function for more than half that right now.

Rarely, if ever, has winning five points after a nail-biting game felt so unfulfilling.