Melville, a former England scrum-half, knows a great stand- off when he sees one So does Nigel Wray, the Saracens owner. IT IS not surprising that Saracens attempted to move heaven and earth in an effort to persuade Michael Lynagh to stay at the club. No, this is not a flash in the pan."Saracens: Tries Sella, Constable, Johnson, Grewcock, Ravenscroft, Bracken, R Wallace; Conversions Lynagh 5; Drop goal Lynagh. Wasps: Tries Volley, Roiser; Conversion Rees; Penalties Rees 2.Saracens: G Johnson; R Constable, P Sella (M Singer, 79), S Ravenscroft, B Daniel (R Wallace, 28); M Lynagh, K Bracken (M Olsen, 79); R Grau (A Olver, 79), G Chuter (G Botterman, 76), P Wallace, P Johns, D Grewcock, B Sturnham, A Diprose (capt), F PienaarWasps: G Rees; S Roiser, M Denney, R Henderson, L Scrase (P Sampson, 52); A King, M Friday (A Gomarsall, 74); D Molloy (A Black, 74), S Mitchell (T Leota, 65), W Green, M Weedon (A Reed, 74), S Shaw, J Worsley (M White, 57), L Dallaglio (capt), P Volley.Referee: C White (Cheltenham).. But as a beaming Diprose said on Saturday: "We've finally succeeded in setting the standard and it's up to others to match it Yes, we're up there to be shot at.

It amounted to a rout very nearly as painful as the one inflicted by Bath on Gloucester eight years ago. "To appreciate the best life has to offer, you sometimes have to experience the worst," shrugged Lawrence Dallaglio, the Wasps captain, philosophically. He knew he had suffered a shellacking.There are those who believe Saracens should appreciate the good times while they can; Lynagh and Sella will not be around to light up their midfield next season, Johnson may disappear into his personal stretch of the Upper Zambezi to fish for crocodile and Pienaar will be another year and another campaign older. Thank you and good night.Four more tries of infinite contrast and variety would follow: Danny Grewcock's close-range stretch on the stroke of half-time, Ravenscroft's completion of a perfect Lynagh grubber kick, Bracken's trademark spin and scuttle down the left touchline, Richard Wallace's soft shoe shuffle on the opposite side of the pitch.

Pienaar's fellow Transvaaler had already created an early score for Sella, who, in turn, had unlocked the door for Ryan Constable's searing sprint to the right corner The third try opened up a decisive 22-6 advantage. As it turned out, the hamstring behaved itself sufficiently to allow its owner an even more impressive try-saving hit on Andy Reed as late as the 79th minute.By which time, Saracens were over the hills and far, far away. In effect, they took delivery of the trophy when Gavin Johnson, a magisterial figure at full-back, collected Tony Diprose's pass one-handed to complete a 32nd minute try. It was almost as if the blond and bloodied Springbok was aiming to leave his calling card on as many opponents as possible before his suspect hamstring snapped like a violin string; an early "Good afternoon and welcome to Twickenham" assault on Alex King earned him an earwigging from the excellent referee, Chris White.

But I'm not a great one for comparing matches and experiences; all I can say is that there is a special, more intimate sort of satisfaction in winning something with your club. I felt it back home in Brisbane, I felt it during my time in Italy with Treviso and I'm feeling it again now."Lynagh conducted affairs with so firm a grip and with such exquisite timing that he might have taken the field with a symphonic score under one arm and a baton between thumb and forefinger; he deployed the set of golf clubs in his right boot with Nicklaus-like dexterity and when he opted to run, he led the Wasps loose forwards up any number of cul- de-sacs before off-loading a range of passes that seemed to have been weighed to the last ounce.In front of him, Pienaar wreaked havoc, his red-raw approach teetering on the brink of illegality. I'm back at Twickenham and my parents are there in the Rose Room drinking tea, just as they were seven years go. I always wanted to go out on a high, to retire in the knowledge that I'd been competitive right to the end. What happened out there vindicates my decision to retire now; in fact, I feel even more comfortable with the thought than I did before the game."In obvious ways, there are links between this victory and the World Cup win with Australia in '91. It was a cup final and I had one shot at it, one chance to get it right. "But dealing with the fear of failure, conquering the insecurity that eats away at you, is one of the secrets of sporting achievement.