London Irish (12) 27
Try: Tagicakibau, Tiesi
Pens: Hewat (5)
Cons: Hewat

Saracens (13) 24
Try: Skirving
Pens: Jackson (4)
Cons: Jackson

London Irish recorded a fifth straight Premiership win as tries from Sailosi Tagicakibau and Gonzalo Tiesi kept their push for the play-offs alive.

It was Sarries fifth defeat in their last seven games - but they could have drawn had fly-half Glen Jackson not missed a penalty in the final minute.

Irish number 15 Peter Hewat was in fine form and rattled in 17 vital points which proved decisive in the end.

Saracens tries, from Ben Skirving and Kameli Ratuvou, were not enough.

Jackson kicked the first points in the seventh minute with a 30-metre penalty, but Irish were in front by 14 minutes after two penalties from Hewat.

Sarries were reduced to 14 men in the 26th minute when lock Kris Chesney was sin-binned for diving over at the breakdown.

Hewat kicked another penalty to put Irish 9-3 up, only for Jackson to peg them back to 9-6 on 30 minutes.

Hewat's 20-metre penalty made it 12-6, but a Skirving try two minutes before the break was converted by Jackson, meaning Sarries took a one-point lead into the interval against the run of play.

Jackson extended his side's lead with another three points on 49 minutes, but London Irish soon regained the lead when winger Topsy Ojo fed Tagicakibau who went over for his first of the season.

Another breakaway try four minutes later from Tiesi kept the Exiles in front as they mounted yet more misery on Sarries.

Jackson reduced the deficit to five points when he converted another penalty but the home side fought back and a Hewat kick extended Irish's lead.

Ratuvou went over for Sarries in the 74th minute but it proved too little too late- and Jackson missed his vital kick late on.

"We came in at half-time in a one point ball game and to be honest it was quite astounding.

"We had the majority of quality possession at that stage and it just seemed amazing that it was so close still.

"To be honest it's probably through rose tinted glasses but if we had of lost that game it would have been a travesty.

"We didn't get a great start to the game but there's no doubt we've improved since last week.

"Some people won't like to hear me saying that but there's no doubt we did.

"You can't fault the effort of the players but at times we weren't as smart as we should have been and the lead at half-time was pretty much against the run of play."

London Irish: Hewat, Ojo, D. Armitage, Mapusua, Tagicakibau, Catt, Hodgson, Lea'aetoa, Paice, Rautembach, Kennedy, Casey, Roche, S. Armitage, Thorpe. Replacements: D. Murphy, Mackie, Skuse, P. Murphy, Danaher, Fury, Tiesi.

Saracens: Scarbrough, Haughton, Leonelli, Powell, Penney, Jackson, de Kock, Lloyd, Ongaro, Visagie, Chesney, Vyvyan, Gustard, Seymour, Skirving. Replacements: Kyriacou, Johnson, Ryder, Fullarton, Rauluni, Russell, Ratuvou.