Saracens director of rugby Brendan Venter insisted his side's forwards made the difference in their convincing win over Northampton Saints yesterday.

The Men in Black did not score a try in their win over the Saints, which was played in cold and wet conditions, but 24 points from the boot of fly-half Derick Hougaard fired them up to fourth in the Premiership. But for the second week in a row Venter felt their pack was a key factor in their victory.

Venter said: "I think the big thing we will take out of this is the conditions didn’t suit our style of play yet the pack put their hands up and played brilliantly. The pack won it for us which is huge for us otherwise if you are playing an expansive game what happens when the weather turns?

"Our pack was good last year when we kicked a lot. I just thing our two young forward coaches [Alex Sanderson and Paul Gustard] who are innovative deserve a tap on the shoulder."

Sarries return to Vicarage Road next Sunday afternoon when they take on Leicester Tigers in a repeat of last year's classic Premiership final.