Saracens are not so much raging against the dying of the light as doing everything in their power to keep it aglow. Having lost 10 players during the lockdown, they were without Owen Farrell against the Pro14 champions who last tasted defeat in May last year, but his replacement Alex Goode included a try among his 19 points as the unfancied holders pulled off one of the most extraordinary victories in the history of the tournament. Leinster had won 25 matches since losing to Saracens in the Champions Cup final in Newcastle last year, but since that day the holders have lost the likes of George Kruis, Will Skelton, Ben Earl and Ben Spencer as they cut costs for a year in the Championship. It made them light on the bench here, but their starting line-up remains indomitable and they were ruthlessly precise as they built up a 22-3 lead in the first half and defended it when the benches came into play. Leinster reduced Saracens’ lead to five points with 18 minutes to go. At that point, they had made five replacements while Sarries still had their starting lineup on the field, looking to exploit tired legs and minds. The holders had dictated the pace of the game, slowing down Leinster’s ball, box-kicking, dominating the collisions and on top up front where Mako Vunipola helped secure seven penalties at the scrum. And every forward had a tackle count in double figures, proof of how a team lit up by big names operates as one. Maro Itoje was, as ever, immense, winning penalties and turnovers through his all-enveloping tackling while Goode made light of Farrell’s absence, keeping the game simple and kicking four penalties out of five. “This group of players never ceases to amaze,” said Mark McCall, the director of rugby. “That they could produce a performance of that quality says a lot about them. We will have to do it again next week in France [against Racing 92] and it is another opportunity for us.” Saracens learned of their first punishment in the week before the opening pool game and found out about the second, which relegated them, before their final group match against Racing 92 which they won to earn the quarter-final here. They had a full squad then, but since then 10 players have either gone on loan or moved elsewhere, denying McCall options on the bench. No punishment saps Saracens’ resolve. They targeted Leinster’s back three in the air and forced the home side to play from deep. They became flustered with even Johnny Sexton struggling for breath in the tight grip exerted by Saracens. One of his restarts barely went one metre never mind 10 and with the home players being given no time on the ball, they became like a fly trapped in a web: the more they fought to get out, the more trapped they became and there was no crowd to help extricate them. Saracens also played a bit. Goode’s try came on 37 minutes when he worked a move with Duncan Taylor, using the threats of Billy Vunipola and Jamie George to earn space, finishing it off with a dummy. It gave Saracens a lead they needed given the relative strength of the benches and the expected reaction of Leinster came immediately after the restart when they brought on two forward replacements and cleared out more effectively at the breakdown. Leinster, though, had too much to do having failed to find an entry point into the game for 45 minutes. They were briefly level after five minutes when Sexton equalised Goode’s opening penalty, but Sexton was penalised for not rolling away and his opposite number’s third penalty came after another ruck offence. Leinster’s first attack ended when Itoje stole the ball and Elliot Daly kicked two long-range penalties in as many minutes, the second after Sexton’s botched restart. He ended the first half by taking aim from 60 metres but he was well short, as he was with a 40-metre drop goal five minutes after the restart. They were points Saracens needed as Leinster used their bench to turn the match. First, the prop Andrew Porter forced bigs way over from close range and then Jordan Larmour, after Michael Rhodes was penalised after a review for a high tackle on Sexton, finished off a flourishing move direct from the set-piece, taking an outside line when Robbie Henshaw straightened the line and Sexton passed with alacrity. Saracens are known for their mental strength but even they had to find new reserves. They had an opportunity to give themselves a cushion when Itoje won a penalty, but Goode missed from wide on the right and Daly was off target from 45 metres after another scrum penalty. Saracens had five minutes to nurse their lead. Itoje was treated for cramp as the effort of the afternoon told, but the misses meant Leinster had to play from deep. There was no way out and when Goode, one minute from time, had the chance to win the match from the spot he had missed from eight minutes before, he was Farrell in disguise and completed another remarkable chapter in the story of a singular club.