Coach Joe Shaw labelled Saracens’ journey to their first LV=Cup final “special” after the Men in Black beat Northampton Saints 24-20 to reach next weekend’s final against Exeter Chiefs at Franklin’s Garden.

Trailing 13-5, Sarries scored 16 unanswered points to the turn the game on its head against the Premiership champions and reach their first domestic cup final since they won the Tetley Bitter Cup in 1998.

Speaking to the club website, Shaw said: “The journey from this playing group has been pretty special. The majority of this side played their part in the A League success and they formed a really strong bond during that campaign.”

He continued: “They went to some fantastic places and got some really impressive wins. Going to play the Ospreys away at The Gnoll is always an ‘interesting’ experience for young players, to beat Exeter and Harlequins who had strong sides out on those occasions, and beating London Welsh who had a first team out that day was great.

“To carry that on by beating a really tough team such as Northampton, with such an experienced pack, is another great experience. We’ll get in on Monday, sit-down and start planning for next weekend.”

Sam Oliver scored 13 points in the first half for the visitors but David Strettle’s converted try kept Sarries in the contest.

Mike Ellery then scored a stunning try before Ben Spencer kicked three penalties to nudge The Men in Black ahead.

Replacement Lee Dickson set up a nervy finish by crossing the whitewash before Nils Mordt kicked a goal to seal Saracens’ progress.

Reflecting on the performance, Shaw mused: “We would have liked to have fired off a few more shots in the first half when we down in their territory.

“With the conditions the way they were, with a very strong wind, in my opinion we played the conditions really well. We gave away two or three silly penalties, and made one or two mistakes between the halfway and the 22 when we had good opportunities to get into Northampton.

“To go into half-time realising how well we had defended we had complete clarity in what we needed to do in the second half. We were a little annoyed that perhaps the score wasn’t as closer at that point.”