Champions Cup: Saracens 55-13 Oyonnax
Last Updated: 19/12/15 3:35pm
Saracens cemented their place at the top of Pool 1 with a 55-13 thrashing of French side Oyonnax at Allianz Park.
Winger Chris Ashton scored a hat-trick and No 8 Samu Vunisa scored two tries, while Owen Farrell scored 11 points as Saracens moved onto 19 points in the Champions Cup pool stages.
Ulster are now the only other team in their group who can prevent Sarries from gaining a play-off place.
Saracens started positively, turning down opportunities to kick for goal in favour of attacking lineouts, and though Oyonnax held out for much of the first half, the power of the Saracens machine proved too much as Alex Goode, Mike Ellery and Jamie George added second-half tries.
It was Ashton who opened the scoring for Mark McCall's men when Goode checked the defence before passing to Brad Barritt, who unleashed the man-of-the-match in the corner. Farrell converted but Saracens conceded a penalty straight off the restart and Oyonnax fly-half Regis Lespinas made it 7-3.
After his captain turned down a series of kickable penalties, Farrell was finally given a shot at goal which he gratefully slotted to reinstate the seven-point lead after 25 minutes.
Throughout the first half the home side peppered the opposition 22m area with grubbers, and it was Ashton who finally latched onto one for his second of the match. Farrell missed the conversion but Saracens looked to be in complete control with half-time nearing despite conceding another three points to Lespinas.
A penalty to Saracens with 15 first-half seconds remaining on the clock gave Farrell enough time to set up a lineout in the corner, and Vunisa held onto the ball at the back of the driving maul to crash over for his first try to make it 20-6 at half-time.
Vunisa was on hand for a carbon copy of the try at the beginning of the second half, with the patient Saracens pack able to take the ball all the way to the opposition poles before crashing over for the bonus-point try.
Goode was next to score when he was given the ball by Vunisa on the back of a poor kick ahead, and the full-back ran from his own half and ghosted through the midfield before sprinting to the line for the fifth of the night for Saracens.
Ellery's try came from a loose Oyonnax pass while Jamie Goerge scored after running a brilliant line to go over almost unopposed.
Oyonnax hit back with a late try through Fetu'u Vainikolo, before Ashton rounded things off with his third try of the afternoon to hand his side a commanding position with two matches remaining in the Champions Cup group stages.