The Daily Mail's Chris Foy reports from Saracens' Aviva Premiership victory over Harlequins at Twickenham.
"Conor O'Shea was forced to acclaim Owen Farrell’s remarkable maturity and Test potential after Harlequins’ record- breaking festive extravaganza at Twickenham was spoiled by the Saracens rookie.
"A crowd of 82,000 — the largest ever recorded for a club game in this country — massed at HQ with the vast majority hoping to see Quins extend their lead at the top of the Aviva Premiership table. Yet, after 25 minutes, Saracens were 19-3 ahead, Farrell had 14 points to his name and O’Shea’s men were chasing the game. They would never recover.
"This was a second defeat in three games for the team who had begun the season with a run of 14 straight victories. Having lost at home to Toulouse 16 days earlier, they had responded with an epic win in the return fixture but on this occasion they had no answer to Saracens’ initial power and control up front, allied to Farrell’s precision in front of goal.
"At the end of last season, the 20-year-old had kicked his club to a maiden Premiership title in the final against Leicester. This time he was similarly assured and it was a good time to make such a positive statement, with England head coach Stuart Lancaster among the hordes in attendance."
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