In the residence of the uncontested No. 10, Owen Farrell defeated England fly-half rival Marcus Smith to lead Saracens to a home semifinal before leaving the field on crutches due to an ankle injury that may prevent him from playing in the remaining games of the season. With a severe knock to his left ankle, Farrell had to leave the game 10 minutes from the finish and is now at least questionable for Saracens’ Champions Cup match against the Ospreys the following Saturday.

Farrell led England against Ireland last weekend while suffering a grade-one ankle strain, according to Mark McCall, and it’s apparent that the issue is still present. If the prognosis is not as promising as Saracens would want, he could have to spend a significant amount of time on the sidelines. McCall stated, “I believe he has worsened the ankle he injured for England. We’ll have to wait and see how he is for next week, I don’t know.

By the time he moved aside, Saracens had already achieved the victory necessary to finish in the top two, and they were now focused on the Champions Cup. Even while it wasn’t a flawless performance, Farrell’s contribution to Saracens’ latest eye-catching display—which continues their transformation into a more aesthetically attractive side—was significant, and Harlequins were unable to match it.

Nonetheless, despite his failures and flashes of brilliance, Smith never gave up attempting to get past the Saracens’ defense. That would be intriguing to watch and so different from Farrell’s carefree demeanor that the Spurs should try to sign him. Final analysis: Billy Vunipola, who is no longer permitted to represent England, had a greater influence than any of the other players. But, the Saracens’ ruthlessness and the fact that they committed fewer errors than their competitors eventually counted. Billy is a really tenacious person, McCall remarked. More physically attractive than he is today, he has never been. On the sporting field, he must show his skills.

Farrell punted more accurately than Smith, which helped their team score five tries to just four for the Harlequins. Despite the absence of their skipper, they are upbeat about their next game against the Ospreys. The Harlequins, who have lost their last eight league games, will meet the Stormers in Cape Town. The southbound trip is filled with anxiety.

Vunipola made a strong impression right away, as if he had a point to make. The current England No. 8 provided the opening blow, scoring the first try for the visitors after a beautiful pass from Smith. He rushed into early contact, clearly targeting Alex Dombrandt on one occasion.

Alex Lozowski received Ben Earl’s offload and dashed under the posts for Saracens’ subsequent try, which was set up by a penalty following yet another outstanding carry from Vunipola that culminated in a penalty. They scored again when Farrell made a break in the Harlequins defense from the subsequent lineout and set up Nick Tompkins for a try, after Alex Goode’s spectacular grubber at the 50:22 mark.

Ivan van Zyl fell over Danny Care while chasing his own grubber, stopping the Saracens who were now in full force. The referee, Luke Pearce, concluded that a Saracens scrum would be adequate despite the fact that it wasn’t an identical replica of last week’s Freddie Steward incident. Care followed Van Zyl off the field a minute later after earning a yellow card for losing his balance at a ruck and needing additional medical attention for a head injury. Harlequins were back to full strength after weathering the predicted storm with just one penalty from Farrell when reduced to 14 men, but Saracens promptly pushed Andy Christie over on the left flank.

Harlequins were within eight points after Cadan Murley’s first try in the second half, but soon after, Sean Maitland scored Saracens’ fourth try after an outstanding grubber and grab by Max Malins. After too easily getting past Malins, Murley scored his second try, but any hopes of a comeback were crushed when Luke Northmore was whistled for catching Farrell too late. Christie’s dismissal from the game earned Harlequins a try bonus point, but Maro Itoje’s fifth try for Saracens after a driving lineout gave Saracens the victory.