Mark McCall heaped praise on Owen Farrell and Saracens' senior players after they found a way to beat Sale Sharks in the Premiership final.

Sarries trailed 25-23 with less than 15 minutes to go and all the momentum with the Manchester side.

And yet managed tries from Elliot Daly and Ivan Van Zyl in the space of four minutes turned the contest on its head as they won 35-25.

The director of rugby was in doubt why that happened.

He said: "For us to have [Owen] as our leader, if you spent the week at our training ground, you wouldn't believe just how influential he is, how clear he is with the playing group, how motivating and what standards he sets and how supportive he is to team-mates young and old.

"He's playing the best of his life at the moment as well but his leadership has gone to another level. 

"When the game was in the balance and it was 25-23 and we lacked a bit of energy, Owen and our senior platers grasped the nettle and saw us through. 

"We had a lot of control in that last 15 or 20 minutes and that's down to their experience in those situations. 

"They've been there and done it before and they showed it when we needed it most. 

"We looked a bit dead in the first 20 minutes of the second half and sometimes that's emotionally driven.

"But we found a way out of that and I thought we were right at it in the last 10 or 15 minutes. 

"We've been playing some of these younger players all year to be honest, and to lose Mako [Vunipola] before the game and Jamie George after 10 minutes was a significant blow given who else was already missing from the pack. 

"But those young lads stepped up, guided around by unbelievable senior players." 

For Farrell, named man of the match, the reason for the success was down to the character the club has created.

That is epitomised by Jackson Wray and Duncan Taylor, both of whom are ending their careers with the north London side.

Farrell said: "In terms of this club and in terms of it being a place you want to fight for and a special place to be, what's been created over the years and is still being created now, is a place nobody wants to leave. 

"People want to be part of it and because of that, there's people been here for 15 years. I think it is outstanding. 

"And you can talk about culture and you can talk about creating something, but to keep that many people here for that long and keep that many people caring about the club and fighting for the club, it has made it into a proper genuine family. 

"I know everybody says that and everybody talks about being tight knit but the time that we spent together, it makes you care about each other. 

"That’s [the case for Wray and Taylor]. It is everything they are and because of that, I can't imagine this place without them. 

"And we’re going to have to work hard to fill their boots. They are unbelievable people and unbelievable characters and people you trust. 

"You know that they’re going to turn up every single day, never mind every single weekend. 

"I can’t speak highly enough of them. They’re two of my best mates and that's what this club has created."