Owen Farrell showed few signs of rust on his return for Saracens, marking his first outing since March with a typically spiky performance to guide his side past Harlequins. Indeed, Saracens were imperious in the first half but Quins dragged themselves back into the match, and briefly to within seven points, with Paul Lasike coming off the bench to score two tries and set up another. Ultimately Saracens halted the comeback, though Mark McCall was unimpressed by the “sloppiness” that allowed Lasike to make inroads. Saracens have made it clear that with their Premiership fate already sealed, defending their European title is their No 1 priority this season but they pride themselves on their professionalism. They met their high standards for the first 55 minutes, not so much for the final 25, but Alex Lewington’s opportunist score clinched the bonus point and with it the match with four minutes to go. Initially this fixture was meant to take place in March, at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium, but if it will not be remembered as the spectacle it could have been, Saracens began intent on dispatching their old rivals. Farrell finished with 18 points but it was his constant aggression that caught the eye. In the echoey Allianz Park he could often be heard screaming, “Hit! Hit! Hit!”, and he was reprimanded by the referee Christophe Ridley for shoving the Harlequins hooker Scott Baldwin just before half-time. “[Owen’s] contribution over the time he has been with us has been incredible,” said McCall after Farrell’s 200th appearance for the club. “He was outstanding again today. We’ve got our internationals for this part of the season and we want to use them as much as we can, not just on the field, off the field too, to impart their wisdom to some very young players.” By the interval Saracens were already three tries to the good from Sean Maitland, Maro Itoje and Aled Davies, on his full debut. The first came on four minutes after a strong carry from Billy Vunipola, the England No 8 offloading to Maitland to go over in the left corner. Farrell extended the lead with a penalty before Harlequins had to make do with a Marcus Smith drop-goal after a lengthy period of pressure. Almost immediately afterwards, Saracens had their second with Itoje bundling over from close range. Davies was next over, sniping under the posts, handing Saracens a commanding 22-3 lead at the break. Harlequins will take heart from their second-half showing, outscoring the disgraced champions three tries to one after the break thanks in no small part to the direct running of the replacement centre Lasike. First he powered over from five metres, then another powerful run allowed Scott Steele in, and Lasike added another with five minutes remaining. Farrell had kicked three second-half penalties to ensure the hosts were still ahead, however, and Lewington ended Harlequins’ hopes of a comeback just a minute after Lasike’s second try. “We were the more dominant team in the second half,” said Harlequins’ director of rugby, Paul Gustard. “We were physically dominant, on top in the scrum, but we just couldn’t quite control the field in that final minute.”