Saracens cruised to a five-try victory against Sale Sharks but a knee injury to Billy Vunipola will be a major concern to England head coach Eddie Jones.
The England No 8 was helped from the field in the late stages of the first half at Allianz Park as the home side repelled a late attack from Sale.
The powerful Sarries forward was tipped to play a starring role for the Lions in New Zealand but missed out on the tour due to a shoulder injury. Now, Saracens and England face a nervous wait to learn the severity of his latest injury.
Saracens cruised to a five-try victory against Sale Sharks on Saturday at Allianz Park
Saracens and England star Billy Vunipola suffered a knee injury during the first period
It wasn’t the first blow for the home side with flanker Michael Rhodes withdrawing with a shoulder problem before the game. A pack reshuffle meant Maro Itoje shifted to the blindside with Nick Isiekwe moving from the bench into the second row alongside George Kruis.
Mark McCall’s men were in a commanding position before they lost the younger Vunipola brother. Early tries from scrum-half Ben Spencer and Welsh wing Liam Williams, on his home debut, helped the Londoners into a commanding 14-0 lead.
It may be a bit early to press the panic button but Sale have just one victory to the name after four rounds after their latest defeat.
They weren’t helped by the late withdrawal of fly-half AJ MacGinty which meant scrum-half Faf de Klerk stepped in at No 10 as Will Cliff came off the bench to fill the resulting void at half-back.
The visitors were given a belated chance to get points on the board when De Klerk copped a high tackle from Argentine midfielder Marcelo Bosch. The diminutive South Africa firing over the subsequent penalty to make it 14-3 in the 25th minute.
Both Saracens and England face an anxious wait to learn the severity of his latest injury
Ben Spencer (pictured) and Liam Williams scored tries to put the hosts 14-0 up early on
Farrell’s penalty pushed Saracens out to a 17-3 lead before Vunipola’s injury. Former Northampton flanker Calum Clark was sent on to make his debut in his absence.
With their monstrous pack well on top, Saracens continued to take the fight to Sale after the break. The Lions trio of Itoje, Mako Vunipola and Jamie George continuing to punch holes in the Sale defence.
Another spell of pressure yielded a 51st minute penalty opportunity for Sarries with Farrell making it 20-3 from the tee.
It didn’t get any easier for Sale after that as the powerful South African frontrow duo of Schalk Brits and Vincent Koch entered the fray with hooker George and Juan Figallo making way.
Saracens soon had their third try of the afternoon as Farrell dummied his way past Sale flanker Jono Ross before feeding the onrushing Spencer who ran the perfect support line to race under the sticks. Farrell added the extras as the Londoners moved out to a 27-3 lead. It was a textbook example of the power and pace of this juggernaut Sarries outfit. It was looking ominous for Sale.
Owen Farrell scored five conversions and two penalties for Saracens against Sale
Sale’s afternoon was summed up when former rugby league star Josh Charnley scythed through the Saracens midfield only to drop the ball over the try-line thanks to a superb cover tackle from Sean Maitland.
Saracens don’t make errors like that. That’s why they’re back-to-back domestic and European champions. The bonus point-clinching try duly arrived with 15 minutes remaining as substitute tighthead Koch barged his way over from close-range.
Byron McGuigan, who replaced De Klerk in the 57th minute, rode the cover tackle of fellow substitute Nathan Earle to touch down brilliantly in the corner but it was merely a consolation for Steve Diamond’s side.
The chants of ‘Oh Maro Itoje’ were soon ringing around the stadium when the Saracens and England star went on a rampaging 40-metre run upfield. It was the highlight of another all-action display from this 22-year-old sensation.
Exciting young Saracens wing Earle raced over late on but there was still time for McGuigan to bring up his brace thanks to an intelligent cross kick from replacement flanker Ben Curry.
Josh Charnley dropped the ball over the try-line thanks to a cover tackle from Sean Maitland