Saracens pose double trouble for opponents – ferocious defence allied with a quick-witted counter-attack – and their hard-fought semi-final victory over Harlequins leaves them on course for a league and European Cup double, a prospect that less than a decade ago was fanciful for a club consistent only in its inconsistency.
There were moments on Saturday when Saracens faced a repeat of last year's semi-final failure at home to Northampton: they trailed at half-time having had two players sent to the sin-bin and were unsettled by Quins, who minimised the prospect of being turned over by kicking long and putting pressure on their hosts at the breakdown and in midfield. It looked like trouble rather than double.
A measure of their progress this season is their ability to solve problems. They no longer rely on the boot of Owen Farrell in tight matches, which is just as well because the outside-half missed three kicks at goal in his first stint off the tee for a month having recovered from a foot injury, and Harlequins were not the first team to discover this season that one's best is rarely enough against Sarries.
"They are the best team I've played this year and I'm sure they are going to have a successful next couple of weeks," said Harlequins' scrum-half, Danny Care, whose only consolation in defeat was that he would be available for all three of England's Tests in New Zealand next month. "They are capable of winning the double; I can't see why they won't beat Toulon (in Saturday's Heineken Cup final) in a one-off game and it will be one hell of a Premiership final against Northampton; I am already looking forward to watching that."
The presence of Saracens and Northampton in the 31 May final robs the England head coach, Stuart Lancaster, of a significant number of his first-choice players for the opening Test against New Zealand because they will arrive late on the tour. The decision to stage a Test one week after the end of the European club season has been widely condemned for denying players the chance to win a cap, but it also shows a flagrant disregard for their welfare.
If Saturday's semi-final was not quite as gruelling and savage as the one between Northampton and Leicester the evening before, it was physically demanding. Saracens' England contingent will have to try and reach even higher levels in the next few weeks and then, without time to rest, get to Heathrow for a 24-hour flight. If those who made the schedules experienced them, no doubt things would be different.
"I am bitterly disappointed to be missing out on the first Test but, if I use up energy thinking about England, I lose focus on what Saracens have been doing all year," said their No8, Billy Vunipola. "The schedule was organised a while ago and it is out of the hands of the coaches and players. While I am miffed about losing the chance to play for my country, I am happy to be playing in two finals with my mates. We have the firepower to win the double and the coaches to come up with the plans to turn over our opponents."
The only blemish for Saracens was a shoulder injury to their their captain, Steve Borthwick in the final quarter. The former England captain is retiring at the end of the season and while his understated demeanour contrasts with the passionate frenzy that has been a hallmark of the club's rise from the nether reaches of the Premiership to a position of dominance, his calmness under pressure and his ability to see clearly through a haze makes his presence important in the biggest fortnight in the club's history. Borthwick will be assessed on Monday. Otherwise Saracens should be at full strength for their final against another double-chasing side, Toulon, who end their season against Castres in the Top 14 final.
The wing Chris Ashton continued his strong second half of the season with the decisive try 19 minutes from time, his 19th of the campaign, although he was involved in an interval spat with some opponents after shouting "miss it" to Nick Evans as the outside-half took a conversion with the last kick of the opening half. Saracens have long played on the edge, which makes the prospect of the final with Northampton all the more alluring. The two clubs may not have the local and historical rivalry of Saints and Leicester but ever since Sarries won at Franklin's Gardens in the semi-final play-off four years ago and offended their hosts with the way they celebrated, the two clubs have bathed in mutual antipathy.
"I watched Northampton's semi-final and it was an awesome occasion," said Vunipola. "The passion and the rivalries are attracting more and more people to rugby.The crowds enjoy it. We have two tough games to finish the season but we have to attack them; otherwise we are going to get hurt. We cannot take our foot off the gas. What we have done up to now counts for nothing if we do not get over the line."
Saracens Goode; Ashton, Bosch, Barritt, Strettle (Wyles 58); Farrell (Hodgson 74), De Kock (Wigglesworth 51); M Vunipola (Barrington 68), Brits (George 74), Stevens (Johnston 65), Borthwick (capt; Sheriff 68), Hargreaves, Brown, Burger (Wray 59), B Vunipola. Tries Brown, Barritt, Ashton. Cons Farrell 2. Pens Farrell 4.
Sin-bin Bosch 24, Stevens 29
Harlequins Brown (Buchanan 68); Williams (Smith 58), Molenaar (Botica 60), Turner-Hall, Monye (Dickson 68); Evans, Care; Marler (Lambert 74), Ward, Sinckler (Collier 74), Matthews (Kennedy 74), Robson, Wallace (Guest 58), Robshaw (capt), Easter. Tries Monye, Brown. Cons Evans 2. Pen Evans.
Referee W Barnes (London). Attendance 9,962
