Brad Barritt took home the man of the match award following Saracens’ 20-10 win over Leinster – a fact that delighted director of rugby Mark McCall.

The 32-year-old is often overlooked by the Men in Black's glittering array of talent and international superstars.

But his typical all-action display brought his own personal reward before he lifted the trophy for a third time.

"I'm so chuffed he was named man of the match because he deserves it," said McCall. "Sometimes players like Brad don't get the headlines he deserves. He's a magnificent captain for our club.

"In games like this he is as tough as they come and the way he defended and the way he set targets today was inspirational."

The modest man himself preferred to hail the professionalism of his team.

Barritt said: "There were a few words said behind the posts and Owen in particular said there were times in the first half when we were being a bit tentative.

"We hadn't been ourselves and the Maro yellow card released us and allowed us to play our game.

"It's pleasing when you have a reaction and I can't speak highly enough of the leaders around me but more importantly the way the team responded to the key messages.

"The message is only as good as the guys who follow it and they were phenomenal."