Big Freddie Burns moment personifies great game of rugby
What constitutes a great game? Is it a record amount of points, tries upon tries and showboating rugby? Is it gripping, tense and decided in the final 20 seconds with a drop goal?
Saturday’s Premiership final between Leicester Tigers and Saracens ended in the manner of the latter. It wasn’t a record-breaking points haul like the year prior and it didn’t light up south west London, but it kept the 72,000 onlookers on the edge of their seats right until the last second.
And deep into the 80th minute, it was Tigers replacement fly-half Freddie Burns who slotted that drop goal to seal his side a 15-12 win and Leicester’s 11th Premiership title.
Two years ago Leicester were rock bottom, saved from relegation by Saracens’ salary cap misdemeanours. But in English rugby’s premier domestic final, they saw off the favourites.
The game was physical, territorial, gritty; it was what you’d expect from two powerhouses of English rugby – not pretty but nonetheless enticing.
Both sides, too, were lucky not to have seen red cards for high tackles – but referee Wayne Barnes deemed they warranted yellow cards.
Tigers scored through South African duo Hanro Liebenberg and Jasper Wiese while three penalties from Owen Farrell and one from Elliot Daly made up Saracens’ 12-point contribution – their last penalty coming when a man up and five metres out despite scrum dominance.
But with one final kick of the ball, Burns had banished long-standing demons. He began at Gloucester, at Bath he’s remembered for a fumbled try as a result of showboating, in Japan he missed a drop goal to send his side to the play-offs, but at Twickenham on Sunday he vindicated himself.
“At the age of five I had two goals – to play for my country and to win a Premiership,” said Burns.
And aged 32, substituted on after George Ford injured himself early, he completed his career checklist.
So what constitutes a good game? Well, it’s about key moments. And in Tigers’ win on Saturday, they made the most of their moments and are champions of England because of it.