Relief then for London Irish with not only their second victory of the season but remarkably their first at home since November last year when they defeated Sale 9-3. But there was concern for the watching England coach Andy Robinson with flanker Richard Hill suffering a nasty-looking knee injury, the extent of which will only be known today.
The home side fully deserved their success but it was a performance of imperfections against a woefully inept Saracens outfit.
Irish, with their flanker and skipper for the day Keiron Dawson a ubiquitous presence and Mike Catt typically lively and inventive before departing with a back spasm, scored three tries and might have added more but for some poor decision making and execution at vital moments.
"There are still a lot of things we need to get right," said the head coach Gary Gold "but overall I think this was just reward for the players in a game they dominated."
The Exiles really should have been more than 8-0 up at the break, such was their overwhelming superiority in terms of possession and territory. Their first try came from the outstanding winger Justin Bishop when the Saracens hooker Raphael Ibanez was in the sin bin. It was instigated by Catt on a rare occasion when his side were in their own 22.
His side-step left Hill sprawled on the turf clutching his left knee, while Irish worked their way up field before Catt was on hand to provide the scoring pass 30 metres out. Hill left the ground on crutches with the head coach Rod Kafer expressing worry over its implications.
Saracens were outmuscled and especially harassed at the breakdown where poor Kyran Bracken at scrum-half was given a torrid afternoon. And outside him the 20-year-old Ben J Russell, a summer signing from the Northampton Academy, endured a chastening introduction to Premiership rugby before he was replaced at the interval by Nicky Little. The arrival of the New Zealander Glen Jackson in three weeks cannot come soon enough.
Saracens' glum afternoon was summed up by a second yellow card, this for the replacement lock Simon Raiwalui, who had been on the field for less than two minutes.
"It was a sub-standard performance," said Kafer, who, while offering no excuses, seemed to be suppressing his anger at some of the refereeing decisions and did express an intention to speak to David Rose this week.
Certainly Irish's second try had an element of fortune about it, the replacement winger Delon Armitage being worked away on the blindside from what suspiciously looked like a knock-on at a scrum.
But the third in injury time was the result of unrelenting pressure, as Robbie Kydd desperately attempted to run the ball away from behind his own line. He actually did quite well, but unfortunately could not gather his chip ahead and Michael Horak pounced to skip out of Ben Skirving's tackle to go under the posts.
London Irish: Horak; Bishop, Appleford, Catt (Armitage, 64), Staniforth; Everitt (Mordt, 60), Hodgson (Edwards, 61); Hatley, Russell, Hardwick (Durant, 77), Kennedy (Strudwick, 60), Casey, Danaher, Dawson (capt), Murphy (Roche, 67).
Tries: Bishop, Armitage, Horak. Con: Armitage Pen: Everitt.
Saracens: Kydd; Haughton (Johnston, 57), Castaignède, Sorrell, Bailey; Russell (Little, h-t), Bracken (Rauluni, 62); Yates (Lloyd, 67), Ibanez (Cairns, 50), Broster, Chesney (Raiwalui, 50), Vyvyan (capt), Hill (Skirving, 39), Seymour, Randell.
Pen: Little.
Sin bin: Ibanez, Raiwalui
Referee: D Rose (Birmingham). Att: 7,047.
