While there is every chance Leicester and Saracens may go on to contest the grand final in three weeks, the chances of Saturday's Welford Road script being repeated are remote. After 40 minutes of hard if unspectacular rugby, the "rehearsal" for a grand final turned into something of a pantomime with a red card that Saracens say they will do all they can to overturn.
In nine minutes either side of half time, Saracens went from being five points up to 16 down with one man sent off and another in the sin bin having already conceded a penalty try.
First the referee, Greg Garner, ran under the posts when Saracens took a scrum down in the dying seconds of the first half, then he sent the wing Michael Tagicakibau to the sin bin for lifting the replacement prop Marcos Ayerza and then he sent off the Saracens flanker Justin Melck on the say-so of one of his assistants, Simon McConnell, who seemed to suggest that Melck had been guilty of gouging.
Later McConnell asked for a "try" by Blaine Scully to be referred to the television official, only to be embarrassed by footage which showed the wing had taken two steps at least in touch before getting to the corner.
"It's most unusual for an official to intervene in a situation like that and not refer it to the fourth official," said the Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall. "Their player didn't complain at the time and afterwards said nothing had happened."
Between the two cards Manu Tuilagi made best use of the space made available with a man in the bin to score under the posts and then barged his way through three Saracens tackles to set up the try that Scully did score.
Down 24-8, Saracens did at least reply by gaining a penalty try of their own, Garner this time saying that Leicester had collapsed the rolling maul to prevent the ball being dotted down, before the replacement lock Graham Kitchener for Leicester and wing Jack Wilson for Saracens exchanged tries like birthday presents. Common sense was restored by Ben Spencer, who feinted and dummied his way 60 metres into the Leicester corner to score his second try to cap a performance that was well worth his 14 individual points but probably not a place should these two meet again.
With next's week's semi-final against Harlequins, a Heineken Cup final against the champions, Toulon, and then possibly a grand final still to play, Saracens brought a third XV, which was minus anyone who started against either Clermont Auvergne in the European semi-final or Worcester last week when they made sure of finishing the regular season in top spot for the first time.
Leicester, who needed a bonus point win and Northampton to lose without taking a point against Wasps to get a home semi-final, made 10 changes, seizing the opportunity to give Tom Croft 20 minutes off the bench after eight months out with damaged knee ligaments.
There was also an emotional farewell to Welford Road for Toby Flood, the former England fly-half starting his 120th game for Leicester at inside centre, but as Leicester's director of rugby admitted later, this match did not matter one jot.
"They have been the best side all season. But all the pressure will be on them. Today didn't matter. The play-offs are brutal, you can finish top [after the regular season] and still lose the thing," Richard Cockerill said.
