Liam Williams shone in his alternative red kit as the English champions came from 10 points down to score 20 unanswered ones of their own to win the title for the third time in four years.
Alex Goode may have been voted European Player of the Year and Brad Barritt quite rightly picked up the man of the match award, but Saracens’ sole Welshman made a massive contribution to their success.
Playing on the wing Wales’ 2019 Six Nations Grand Slam winner Williams was defensively superb, always threatening in attack and, as ever, aerially brilliant.
Williams stood shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best players in the northern hemisphere at St James’ Park, Newcastle.
His tackle and jackal on Leinster’s Irish centre Garry Ringrose in the seventh minute of the second half was a key moment in the game and had the commentators, pundits, fans and his team-mates in raptures.
Brian O’Driscoll called it “an absolutely majestic piece of defending” and the commentary from Nick Mullins and Ben Kay summed up perfectly the astonishment at what the Welshman had done in not only stopping the try, but then getting the ball back for his side.
“That had to be a try . . . that was brilliant defensive work by Williams . . . and he’s stolen the ball as well . . . what a tackle and turn-over . . . everybody in the ground was thinking Leinster had to score . . . the one person who wasn’t was Liam Williams.”
As he went up onto the podium to receive his winners’ medal, Williams joined a special list of Welsh players who have won the ultimate title in European club rugby. It all began with Tony Rees in the Brive side of 1997 and the Sarries star became the 11th winner.
Welsh Winners of the European Cup
1997: Tony Rees (Brive)
1998: Ieuan Evans, Nathan Thomas, Richard Webster (Bath)
2000: Allan Bateman, Andy Newman (Northampton Saints)
2004: Rob Howley (Wasps)
2005: Gareth Thomas (Toulouse)
2013: Gethin Jenkins (Toulon)
2015: Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon)
2019: Liam Williams (Saracens)
It has been an incredible season for Williams.
His Heineken Champions Cup win came on the back of helping Wales to win the Triple Crown and Grand Slam. This was his 21st game of the season for club and country and he has won 20 of them.
It’s not going to stop there, either.
Saracens are still in the hunt for the Gallagher Premiership title they wrestled back from Exeter Chiefs last season.
The goal is to complete the European and domestic club double for the second time.
You wouldn’t bet against them!
