Saracens 55 Connacht 36
It takes something special to stand out from the star-studded crowd at Saracens, but Juan Martin Gonzalez clearly has the necessary physical and mental elements to do just that.
Powerful, elegant and powerful, the Puma is already one of the signings of the summer for a Saracens team determined to add to their three Champions Cup trophies and six Premiership titles.
Gonzalez has quickly put the loss to London Irish behind him with the kind of start to his new rugby life in the capital that he could only have dreamed of after helping Argentina reach the World Cup semi-finals.
On a European day when Owen Farrell's temperament was stretched to the limit by Connacht rival Shayne Bolton, and England team-mate Maro Itoje was convicted for a dangerous goal, the 6ft 4in Gonzalez was the personification of calm and composure.
He fits into the Sarries puzzle as if tailor-made for the back row job. The 23-year-old has clearly suffered no hangovers from his performances in France and has won the hearts of fans who feared that the injury losses of Ben Earl and others would be particularly damaging to the club's appetite for more silverware at home and abroad.
Gonzalez said: "It was hard to leave Irish because it was a great group. It was so difficult because it was a good old club. There were a few fellow Argies there, but I had to turn the page and move on to the next challenge. I still keep in touch with my old teammates.
"Sarries gave me a warm welcome, fans and everyone at the club. This is the best team in the Premier League so I was happy they called me. "I hope I can be successful here and help the club win more trophies because they have a strong history."
Director of Rugby Mark McCall is clearly impressed, stressing: "Sometimes it can be difficult joining a new club that doesn't have a pre-season. But to start off as fast as he did is pretty incredible. He is a brilliant talent and young man. Very mature and hardworking. He plays excellent rugby. He is so good that you want him on the ball and his tackle numbers are normally very high. Not only does he do the flashy things, but like any young player there are always things he can work on and improve."
The story continues
Gonzalez celebrated a fine try in the crushing win over Connacht as the Londoners bounced back from their opening defeat to Bulls in South Africa. He was an imposing, diligent and powerful presence in a Sarries performance that started slowly but then accelerated to overcome their Irish rivals.
Farrell played well throughout, apart from a few missed kicks on goal, but also showed his somewhat tinderbox nature and was punished for it. He retaliated against Bolton's push after a tackle by jumping up and pushing the Connacht winger, who was on the ground, twice. A penalty was awarded, which Jack Carty kicked. The England captain was clearly targeted by Connacht, which will no doubt continue to be the case while he is out of the international spotlight.
After Gonzalez's opening try from a Farrell through-kick, Connacht had threatened an upset as they moved into a healthy lead thanks to Test center Bundee Aki finishing a forward driving maul and a try from Caolin Blade.
But once the Sarries' pack picked up steam and prolific England hooker Jamie George rose to stake claim to driving mauls, the hosts began to turn the screw and take full command.
Young center Olly Hartley marked his first Champions Cup start with a string of tries, while there were also scores for the hosts at the death from Sean Maitland, Lucia Cinti and Theo Dan.
Connacht, who had earlier seen flanker Cian Prendergast sinned for foul play at a ruck, tried to continue the hunt but their defense failed to match their attack. Although they had plenty of punch in the first half when they led 17-8, they lacked the same collective steel when it mattered most when they were under the pump in the second half.
Sarries lost Itoje to the sin bin after a head-on collision with Paul Boyle while trying to make a tackle. Extenuating circumstances from a change of direction ensured that England's lock did not see red.
JJ Hanrahan and Joe Joyce and Prendergast hit back with tries for them, but every time they scored they switched off and conceded.
However, McCall was relatively satisfied with his team's response after losing to the Bulls. He added: "It was a good step in the right direction. "There's a lot more in us, but this puts us on the right foot in the group, which is a great way to get back into Premiership games at Christmas."
Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins admitted: "I was pleased with the way the boys took to the task in the first half, but in the end we were well beaten by a really good team. We've had a tough first two games in the league, but we have to take them on the chin and improve."
Match details
Scores (Saracens first): 5-0 (Gonzalez try), 5-5 (Aki try), 5-7 (Carty con), 8-7 (Farrell pin),
8-12 (Blade attempt), 8-14 (Carty con), 8-17 (Carty pen), 13-17 (George attempt), 16-17 (Farrell pen); 21-17 (George tries); peace; 26-17 (Hartley try), 28-17 (Farrell con), 31-17 (Farrell pen), 36-17 (Maitland try), 38-17 (Farrell con), 43-17 (Cinti try), 43- 22 (Hanrahan tries), 43-24 (Hanrahan con). 48-24 (Hartley tries), 50-24 (Farrell con), 50-29 (Joyce tries), 55-29 (Dan tries), 55-34 (Prendagast tries), 55-36 (Hanrahan con)
Saracens: A Goode (T Parton 71); L Cinti, N Tompkins, O Hartley, S Maitland (A Lewington 58); O Farrell (c), A Davies (I van Zyl 55); M Vunipola (T West 58), J George (T Dan 55), A Clarey (L Mulipola 68); M Itoje, T McFarland; JM Gonzalez (T Ridder 65), A Christie, B Vunipola (H Tizard 59).
Connacht: J Veranda (JJ Hanrahan 59); B Ralston (A Kilgallen 59), T Farrell, B Aki, S Bolton; J Carty (c) (M McDonald 59), C sheet; J Duggan (D Buckley 47), D Heffernan, J Aungier (F Bealham 47); G Thornbury (J Joyce 47), C Prendergast, C Oliver (J Oliver 55), P Boyle (D Tierney Martin 61).
Referee: Luc Ramos
Player of the match: Gonzalez (Saracens).
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