By Jason Harris (filed: 6/10/03)
October 6 2003

Saracens returned to winning ways with a 39-33 victory over local rivals Harlequins at Vicarage Road on Sunday. Tries from Thomas Castaignede, Richard Haughton and Taine Randell plus 24 points from the boot of Andy Goode saw the Men in Black home despite being down to 13 men in the closing stages. Quins took an early lead through a Ceri Jones try which was converted by Paul Burke, but this was nullified by a drop goal and two penalties from Goode.

Sarries scored their first five-pointer on 24 minutes as Castaignede rounded off a magnificent 90-metre move to touch down under the posts after taking the scoring pass from Nathan McAvoy who is now starting to show some promise.

Goode kicked one more penalty and Burke two to make the score at half time 19-13 to Sarries.

Saracens pulled further away in the third quarter as Castaignede turned provider. His 30-metre run up the right set up Richard Haughton to blast his way to the corner flag. More distance was put between the teams at the end of the third quarter as Taine Randell was perfectly positioned to latch on to a Goode cross field punt that was batted back by Sorrell.

The game as a contest was finished, but some poor discipline from Sarries, some self-belief from Quins and some indifferent officiating let the visitors back in to salvage a bonus point courtesy of a penalty try which came about from an eight man Quins scrum putting pressure on six from Sarries. (The two men lost were Chesney and Kershaw, both sin-binned for technical offences, as was man-of-the-match Haughton in the first half) and one from replacement wing Keogh.

Andy Dunne netted Quins their bonus point after a bizarre penalty incident straight after he had converted the Keogh try. Andy Goode was shaping up to take the re-start when referee Rose blew his whistle and indicated that the Sarries outside half had spoken out of turn and awarded the opportunity for Quins to salvage something from a game that, quite frankly, they were never really in.