Vunipola holds nerve as last-gasp Sarries down Irish

Manu Vunipola kicked a last-gasp penalty to secure a dramatic 16-13 win for Saracens over London Irish at Allianz Park in the Premiership on Saturday.

On a day when cousins Billy and Mako suffered Rugby World Cup final heartache with England, Vunipola was the hero for the reigning champions – but only after he flirted with playing the role of villain.

Mark McCall's side were 8-6 ahead at the break, Alex Lozowski's penalty and a try from Titi Lamositele coming between a pair of three-pointers from the boot of Stephen Myler.

Irish initially turned the tables after the break as Albert Tuisue dotted down at the end of a driving maul and Myler added the extras. 

But, with time running out, Ben Earl forced his way over to tie it up and, though Vunipola was wayward with a twice-taken conversion, he split the posts with a penalty that proved to be the last action of the game.

In the other two games, both Leicester Tigers and Wasps picked up their first wins of the season.

The Tigers dished out a first defeat of the campaign to Gloucester, triumphing 16-13, while Wasps overcame Bath 30-22.