Sarries start new season in style (From Times Series)

Chris Ashton and Charlie Hodgson the headline makers as Saracens thump London Irish

7:00pm Saturday 1st September 2012 in Sport

England international Christ Ashton scored two debut tries and Charlie Hodgson passed a significant landmark as Saracens started their Premiership season in some style, thrashing London Irish 40-3 to record a bonus point win in the London double header at Twickenham this afternoon.

The first-half points scoring was about the boot as three Hodgson penalties - the last of which took him past 2,000 Premiership points - and one from Alex Goode opened up a 12-3 lead for the eventual victors.

But the Men in Black turned it on after the break and it was new recruit Ashton who got the ball rolling.

The former Northampton Saints wing had been sin-binned in the opening period but he notched his first try for his new club three minutes after the restart.

The lead was further extended when Brad Barritt touched down seven minutes later and with Hodgson converting both scores, Sarries were now 26-3 to the good.

The former Premiership champions had to see out another ten minutes a man down after Kelly Brown was sin-binned but the Exiles were unable to make any further inroads on the scoreboard.

Indeed, it was their opponents who stretched further away when Ashton doubled his tally before Nils Mordt made sure of the bonus point with the final try of the game five minutes from time, with Hodgson again kicking the extras on both occasions.