• Harlequins 41-14 Saracens• Quins move up three places to sixthAnd so life begins in a Premiership with relegated champions. This is not the first time Saracens have lost this season, but by the end of this defeat they looked what they were, representatives of a club with its heart ripped out.
“Without question this has been the most difficult week,” said Mark McCall, Sarries’ director of rugby. “When the original decision was made, there was a strong feeling within the group that we weren’t going to get relegated, but the news last Friday has meant a lot of anxiety about people’s personal situations and what they’re going to do next.