He might not have won any trophies during his 15 years with the men in black, but Richard Hill has won thousands of admirers, many of whom headed north up the M1 to Milton Keynes to give Saracens’ greatest ever player the send-off he deserved. Hill’s 288th and final appearance ended with a last-gasp Premiership win over Bristol, but neither side have made the playoffs.

Apart from the Grand Slams and a World Cup winner’s medal during a 71-Test England career, plus three Lions tours and a series victory in South Africa, Hill’s last triumph in a club shirt - and one of his proudest rugby moments - was a Dorset & Wilts Cup final victory over Sherbourne. Then he was a teenage place-kicker at Salisbury, the club where his career began 30 years ago, as a five-year-old playing for the under-eights.

Alex Goode, who was five when Hill made his Saracens debut, kicked the goals yesterday, marking his own debut with two penalties and two conversions, including wing Kameli Ratuvou’s last minute winner.

Tries by Richard Haughton and Noah Cato got Saracens off to a flying start, as they stormed to a 15-3 lead inside 16 minutes. Haughton’s was the pick of the bunch, scored from first phase ball. As Saracens spun the ball across the width of the pitch from a scrum 40 metres out, Haughton picked his moment to join the line perfectly, and with a man outside him, stepped inside to dot down under the posts.

But it was Luke Eves, less than a month past his 19th birthday, who threatened to steal the show, and the match, for Bristol with a try either side of half-time. The son of former Bristol hero Derek, Eves tracked David Lemi’s dazzling run for his first score, then took a sublime pass from Ed Barnes, his fly-half, and stepped inside the last man to claim his second. Barnes knocked over the conversion to make it 15-20. “Luke played exceptionally well,” said John Brain, Bristol’s assistant coach. “He’s an exciting prospect.”

Goode replied with a penalty but, as the clock ticked down, it looked like Bristol had gate-crashed the retirement party for Hill and another Premiership stalwart, his Sarries’ teammate, Paul Gustard. But Saracens dug deep, and with the line in his sights and space on the outside, Ratuvou managed to put a smile on the face of the man known in the dressing room as Victor Mel-drew.

Typical of Hill, rugby’s quiet man was happy to ride off into the sunset and a well-earned holiday without any fanfare. Ever the team player, the Saracens No 7 said: “It’s been a special 15 years, but it’s not about me, it is about the team. It’s important to end on a positive note.”

This may have been Hill’s last stand, but it could, and should, prove to be the first of many games of rugby to be played at the excellent 20,000-seater Stadium MK.

Star man: Luke Eves(Bristol)

Saracens: R Haughton (G Ross 50min); N Cato (R Penney 57min), K Sorrell, A Powell, K Ratuvou; A Goode, N de Kock (capt, A Dickens 59min); N Lloyd, M Cairns, C Visagie (C Johnston 47min), T Ryder, K Chesney (I Fullarton 59min), P Gustard (D Barrell 69min), B Skirving, R Hill

Bristol: L Arscott; A Elliott, N Brew, L Eves (R Higgitt 63min), D Lemi; E Barnes, H Thomas (G Beveridge 45min); R Hogan (D Crompton 27min), S Linklater, P Bracken, M Sambucetti (A To’oala 66min), N Budgett, I Grieve, D Ward-Smith (capt), R Pennycook

Scorers:
Saracens: Tries: Haughton, Cato, Ratuvou; Cons: Goode (2); Pens: Goode (2)
Bristol: Tries: Eves (2); Cons: Barnes (2); Pens: Barnes (2)
Referee: T Wigglesworth (RFU)
Attendance: 8,050