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Saracens set up Tigers final

London - Four penalties from teenage flyhalf Owen Farrell has steered Saracens to a 12-10 victory over Gloucester and a second successive Premiership final against Leicester.

According to BBC Sport, Farrell, 19, landed two kicks before halftime, answered by one from Nicky Robinson, in an error-strewn match dominated by rugged defending.

Saracens skipper Steve Borthwick was harshly sin-binned after the break for an offence at a line-out.

Robinson then scored the only try but Farrell's kicking proved too much.

The game was littered with mistakes from the start when Robinson's kick-off went straight out.

Both sides knocked on, players lost their footing and there were eight missed penalties in the blustery conditions - six of them from Saracens who tried three kickers before settling on Farrell.

All the errors, coupled with some well-drilled defending on both sides, stalled the game's momentum and made for a poor spectacle at times.

Things had started brightly when James Short appeared to have scored with five minutes gone but the video replay showed Rory Lawson's desperate tackle on the Saracens winger had just put him in touch in the corner.

Farrell put Saracens ahead on 16 minutes and made it 6-0 after a loose Sarries line-out saw Schalk Brits dance his way into the Gloucester 22 and the visitors infringed at the breakdown.

The hosts looked like their forwards might power over on the half hour but their tight drives came to nothing when the ball was stripped by Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu within yards of the line.

Cherry and Whites saved their best attacking phase until the final minute of the half when, following a Robinson break up the middle, they put together 12 phases in the face of belligerent tackling and won a penalty that Gloucester's number 10 converted with the last act of the period.

Farrell extended his side's lead to 9-3 at the start of the second half but Robinson's chance to bring Gloucester back within three points moments later sailed wide.

The error count continued to rise as first both scrumhalves kicked the ball out on the full and then Ernst Joubert's break into Gloucester's 22 was knocked on by substitute Neil de Kock before Gloucester's counter-attack saw James Simpson-Daniel run out of room.

Borthwick was yellow-carded on 63 minutes when he appeared to take Alex Brown out in mid-air at a line-out but replays indicated the decision was highly questionable.

The officials then missed a genuine offence minutes later when Jacques Burger hit Gloucester full-back Freddie Burns with a very late tackle.

Saracens, stung by losing their captain, stepped up their efforts and pressed for a killer blow.

After the pack twice came close to making a breakthrough, Farrell lined up for the drop-goal but his attempt was charged down and Robinson, Burns and Simpson-Daniel combined to put the Welshman away.

Robinson grounded the ball under the posts and added the extras to give Gloucester the lead, at 10-9, for the first time with 10 minutes to go.

But with three minutes on the clock referee Andrew Small made another big call when he awarded the home side a penalty when it appeared they had knocked on at a ruck.

Farrell, under the gaze of his father Andy who brought on the kicking tee, held his nerve to hand his club a chance at avenging last year's defeat in the final.
 
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