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Gallagher Premiership

Saracens (12) 36

Tries: Segun, Tompkins, Dan 2, Gonzalez, George Cons: Burke 3

Gloucester (14) 14

Saracens produced a powerful second-half performance to beat Gloucester and climb into the Premiership’s top four.

Trailing by two points at the interval, the hosts scored 24 unanswered points to take the game beyond their opponents with two tries from Theo Dan, an individual score from Juan Martin Gonzalez and one from Jamie George.

In the first half, Rotimi Segun and Nick Tomkins had crossed for Saracens, but scores from Chris Harris and Santi Carreras had edged the visitors in front.

But the champions of two years ago were unstoppable after the break as they moved level on points with third-placed Sale with this bonus-point success.

In search of their first top-four finish for six years, George Skivington’s Cherry and Whites have been the great entertainers this season and that was evident with their first try.

From inside their own half, they put together a flowing move which ended with Jacob Morris’ directing a grubber-kick perfectly into the path of Harris to score.

But it needed little time for them to respond thanks to the dancing feet of Segun as he grabbed a loose ball and sidestepped his way to the line.

And when Tompkins burst onto Fergus Burke’s short pass in midfield, the Wales centre showed nice footwork and balance to go over.

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall made no secret of his decision to prioritise making the top four over success in Europe and his England contingent were all back for this one.

That showed in the second period as their forwards – with Maro Itoje, Ben Earl and Tom Willis all in from the start having missed the Champions Cup exit to Toulon – made a massive difference.

Dan’s try from a driving maul put Sarries back in front and a carbon copy move shortly after ended with the same result and a second try for the hooker.

Gloucester had little answer as Argentina flanker Gonzalez and then George put the gloss on the scoreline, with the former England captain, finishing like a winger after great work from his Red Rose successor, Itoje, in stealing a lineout.

It is the first time since January that Saracens have been in the play-off spots but suggested they are coming into form at the right time.

Gloucester head coach George Skivington told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:

“There was a lot of good stuff in the first half but we missed a couple of opportunities, which was a shame.

“Second half, there were a few key lineouts that hurt us. We’ve got to have a little look at a few areas where we weren’t clinical enough and lineout is definitely top of the list.

Saracens: Daly; Elliott, Tompkins, Hartley, Segun; Burke, van Zyl; Mawi, Dan, Riccioni, Itoje, Isiekwe, McFarland, Earl, Willis.

Replacements: George, Carre, Clarey, Tizard, Christie, Gonzalez, Bracken, Goode.

Gloucester: Carreras; Barton, Harris, S Atkinson, Morris, Anscombe, T Williams; Rapava-Ruskin, Singleton, Fasagbon, Clark, F Thomas, Clement, Ludlow, Ackermann.

Replacements: Blake, Ford-Robinson, Gotovtsev, Jordan, Clarke, Englefield, C Atkinson, Cotgreave.

For much of the 120 minutes at Hampden, there was precious little hint of the beautiful story to come, the heart-warming endgame to a Scottish Cup semi-final that wasn’t always easy on the eye.

From a grind to a thing of glory for Aberdeen and their match-winner, Oday Dabbagh, a Palestinian, born in the Old City of Jerusalem.

We waited and waited for a story and, boy, did we get one.

Dabbagh came on to the pitch in the 81st minute when Aberdeen were mid-toil. Very little wit, very little imagination, very few signs that they had it in them to take advantage of their numerical superiority.

Dabbagh, and fellow substitute Dante Polvara, were beginning to make a difference. The Palestinian forced a terrific save from Craig Gordon and slowly Aberdeen started to turn the screw.

Alexander Jensen had a chance, Jeppe Okkels had one of his own. Penalties loomed, but so did Dabbagh.

When he tucked away the goal that sent Aberdeen to the final – just two minutes short of penalties – he wheeled away to be with his supporters. On full-time, his team-mates went to him, one by one.

Later, amid the bedlam, he spoke about it all.

“It’s a really incredible feeling, I can’t explain,” he said. “I’m happy to score the winning goal, I’m happy to be in the final. Thank you to the fans.

This was Dabbagh’s 10th game for Aberdeen since he joined on loan from Charleroi at the turn of the year.

A 90th-minute winner against Kilmarnock, a double against Queen’s Park in the cup, and now this, a different stratosphere to the others.

It’s a goal that will mean more to him and football people in his homeland than we’ll possibly ever know.

His story is quite something. As a kid on the cobbles of Jerusalem, he idolised Robin van Persie. At the age of 16 he was playing for, and excelling with, Hilal al-Quds in the West Bank Premier League.

He won league titles there. In 2018-19 he was the competition’s top scorer.

At 19, he played for his national team. A teenager, yes, but one who had already seen a lot – too much.

Matches delayed while teams were held at checkpoints. Tear-gassing of stadiums. Players who lost homes in bombings.

Dabbagh’s reputation grew and he moved to Kuwait, broke a collarbone, got Covid and still won trophies and a golden boot. When winning a league title, he dedicated it to home.

In August 2021, at the age of 22, Dabbagh was signed by Arouca in the Portuguese top flight. He made his debut off the bench against Porto and Pepe was his marker.

Just as he spoke about his happiness at Hampden, he spoke then about his pride in reaching such a level “not just for me but for all Palestinians. I hope I can be an ambassador for Palestinian players”.

Palestinian football commentators and social historians remarked on what Dabbagh had done in Portugal, how football was tied up in the psyche of the Palestinian people and how Dabbagh, the new pioneer in foreign fields, embodied that spirit.

In the summer of 2023, he moved to Charleroi in Belgium, played Asian Cup for his country and had a crack at the World Cup qualifiers.

But game-time for his club grew limited. When Aberdeen were looking for a loan striker, their research threw up his name – a player who had lost his way a little, but one who had still plenty to give in the right environment.

And the environment was never more right than at Hampden in the 118th minute of a tight scrap that seemed destined to end in penalties until Dabbagh did his thing.

Aberdeen are now in the final having faced Elgin (third in League Two at the time); Dunfermline (who were eighth in the Championship); and Queen’s Park (fifth in the same second tier).

That was a charmed path to Hampden and the breaks continued for Aberdeen when Hearts went down to 10 and then nine men, unjustly in the case of Cammy Devlin, many would say.

Still, Jimmy Thelin’s side needed a hero and, for all their possession and all of their territory, it didn’t look like they had one in their ranks – until Dabbagh pounced.

Indian Premier League, Jaipur

Lucknow Super Giants 180-5 (20 overs): Markram 66 (45), Badoni 50 (34); Hasaranga 2-31

Rajasthan Royals 178-5 (20 overs): Jaiswal 74 (52); Avesh 3-37

Lucknow Super Giants won by two runs

Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit his first ball for six having become the youngest player to ever feature in the Indian Premier League.

Opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals in their two-run defeat by Lucknow Super Giants, Suryavanshi lifted India international Shardul Thakur over extra cover as he made an eye-catching 34 from 20 balls.

The left-hander also hit his third ball over the ropes and struck three fours plus one further six.

Suryavanshi, who only turned 14 last month and was signed at last year’s auction for £103,789 (1. 1 crore rupees), was particularly strong hitting down the ground and shared an opening stand of 85 with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The teenager was eventually out stumped off South Africa’s Aiden Markram in the ninth over.

He took the record of spinner Prayas Rai Burman, who played one match for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019, to become the youngest IPL player. Burman featured aged 16 years and 154 days.

Suryavanshi’s opening stand with Jaiswal put Rajasthan on course for victory in pursuit of 181 and Jaiswal went on to make 74 to put his side well in command.

But Jaiswal was dismissed at the start of the 18th over and Lucknow completed a dramatic turnaround as Avesh Khan defended nine from the last over.

Suryavanshi became the youngest player to be signed for the IPL when he was picked up at the auction after a bidding war last year.

He made headlines last October when he, also aged 13, scored a 58-ball century for India Under-19s in a Youth Test against Australia Under-19s in Chennai.

Suryavanshi was also part of India’s Under-19 Asia Cup squad last year. There he scored 176 runs at an average of 44.

He plays first-class cricket for Bihar, a state in eastern India where he grew up, and made his debut aged 12 last January.

Indian Premier League, Jaipur

Lucknow Super Giants 180-5 (20 overs): Markram 66 (45), Badoni 50 (34); Hasaranga 2-31

Rajasthan Royals 178-5 (20 overs): Jaiswal 74 (52); Avesh 3-37

Lucknow Super Giants won by two runs

Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit his first ball for six having become the youngest player to feature in the Indian Premier League during Rajasthan Royals’ defeat by Lucknow Super Giants.

Opening the batting for the Royals, Suryavanshi lifted India international Shardul Thakur over extra cover as he made an eye-catching 34 from 20 balls.

The left-hander also hit his third ball over the ropes and struck three fours plus one further six.

Suryavanshi, who only turned 14 last month and was signed at last year’s auction for £103,789 (1. 1 crore rupees), was particularly strong hitting down the ground and shared an opening stand of 85 with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The teenager was eventually out stumped off South Africa’s Aiden Markram in the ninth over.

He took the record of spinner Prayas Rai Burman, who played one match for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019, to become the youngest IPL player. Burman featured aged 16 years and 154 days.

Suryavanshi’s opening stand with Jaiswal put Rajasthan on course for victory in pursuit of 181 and Jaiswal continued to make 74 to put his side well in command.

But Jaiswal was dismissed at the start of the 18th over and Lucknow completed a dramatic turnaround as Avesh Khan defended nine from the last over.

Suryavanshi became the youngest player to be signed for the IPL when he was picked up at the auction after a bidding war last year.

He made headlines last October when he, also aged 13, scored a 58-ball century for India Under-19s in a Youth Test against Australia Under-19s in Chennai.

Suryavanshi was also part of India’s Under-19 Asia Cup squad last year. There he scored 176 runs at an average of 44.

He plays first-class cricket for Bihar, a state in eastern India where he grew up, and made his debut aged 12 last January.