Officials in dock after ugly play-offs

The 19-year-old kept plugging away in blustery conditions to land four penalties from eight attempts, including the decisive kick after Gloucester had snatched a late lead.

It was Farrell’s charged-down drop-goal attempt that led to Nicky Robinson’s breakaway try for the Cherry and Whites – but he then stepped up to seal Saracens’ 12-10 victory.

While Farrell scored the points, Saracens’ defensive performance was led by another lung-bursting contribution from Namibian flanker Jacques Burger.

Saracens’ 12th consecutive victory teed up a final against Leicester at Twickenham on May 28, a repeat of last year’s showpiece.

“It says everything about Owen Farrell that he missed a couple of kicks at goal and he is the guy who wants to put his hand up to kick the winning penalty,” said McCall.

“He has been incredible for us over a six-month period. He has guided the team to this run of victories we have had and he did that again today.

“Jacques embodies everything we are about in terms of physicality, work rate and discipline. I thought he was extraordinary today.”

Gloucester’s try came when Saracens were down to 14 men following a controversial decision from touch-judge Peter Huckle that led to Steve Borthwick being sin-binned for challenging Alex Brown in the air.

It has been a weekend of controversial calls from the referees’ assistants following Saturday’s decision at Leicester not to send off Manu Tuilagi for punching Chris Ashton.

McCall did not want to comment on the general issue of officials but he did say: “Everybody knows the touch-judge made a big error (over Borthwick).

“We expect better at this level in these kind of games, it could have been a match-changing error for us to go down to 14 men with 16 minutes to go.

“They scored their try and it could have been match-changing. I am pleased our boys had the resolve to come back and seal the victory.”

Gloucester boss Bryan Redpath never felt confident his side would be able to close out the victory after Robinson’s try. But he was proud of what they have achieved this year in reaching the semi-finals and winning the LV= Cup.

“In 12 months they have come from a position where people wouldn’t even have given them a sniff in the top six, to finish in third and come to Saracens and not let them score,” he said.

Leicester’s relentless quest for an eighth Premiership title could be interrupted by Rugby Football Union disciplinary chiefs following a volatile semi-final victory over Northampton.

Tigers marched into their seventh successive Premiership final after a bruising 11-3 triumph that ended Saints’ hopes of achieving a domestic and European double.

But Leicester’s England World Cup midfield candidate Manu Tuilagi looks likely to miss the showpiece, while Tigers coaches Richard Cockerill and Matt O’Connor might also find themselves in hot water. Tuilagi, 19, can expect to be cited for punching Northampton and England wing Ashton eight minutes before half-time. The incident saw both players sin-binned by referee Wayne Barnes, but such was Tuilagi’s behaviour that it clearly warranted a straight red card.

Cockerill and O’Connor ensured an uncomfortable afternoon for referees’ assessor Brian Campsall, who was subjected to both coaches voicing their displeasure at Barnes’s performance.