Saracens are in Kruis control, unbeaten all season and dominating one of their title rivals to such an extent that for the first time in Premiership history, a team were awarded three penalty tries. The England forwards coach, Steve Borthwick, was among the spectators and after a World Cup when the set pieces were a problem for the hosts, he saw the club he once captained control the scrum and the lineout.

The second-row George Kruis, who played a bit-part role in the World Cup, was named the man of the match and was described by his director of rugby, Mark McCall, as a “dead cert” to be in the England team for the Six Nations opener against Scotland at Murrayfield next month.

“It was nice of him to say that and I am playing the best rugby of my career, but it makes it so much easier when you are in a pack that contains so many young English players doing the same thing and it will be an interesting selection for the Six Nations,” said Kruis. “Leicester have a very good pack and once we sorted out the disruption they caused at the breakdown, we got the reward for the work we have been doing. The set pieces are going well, a big weapon of ours.”

Kruis describes Borthwick as his mentor having spent five years with the second-row who captained England at Saracens, but he insists there will be no favouritism when it comes to selection for the Six Nations given the competition for places at lock, although that is likely to be reduced by one with the Leicester captain, Ed Slater, this week having a scan on the right knee he injured in the first half.

“Steve Borthwick was a player at Saracens and now he is a coach at England,” said Kruis. “That is very much the relationship. He was a mentor for me definitely. When you play for five years alongside a player like that you learn a few things off him. He is very much a coach now and that’s the way it is. There will be no favouritism and I would not want it to be like that. I like to feel that if I do get selected it will be off my own back and the hard work Saracens and I have put in.”

It was Leicester’s third successive heavy defeat here. Their director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, defended his decision to field a markedly weakened team, but one of his stalwarts, Marcos Ayerza, struggled all afternoon in the scrum against Petrus du Plessis, and when the tighthead prop Dan Cole came on as a replacement, his first act was to concede a penalty for collapsing and within nine minutes he was in the sin-bin for the same offence.

“We back our team selection and I am not going to make any excuses,” said Cockerill. “Saracens were very good and we were very poor. Our set piece was substandard and I am disappointed in what we put out there. We were done royally and you have to suck it up and deal with it. And we will. It is not something I like to see from my pack and we need to show some character with Northampton coming up. It won’t be a comfortable week for the players or coaches.”

Manu Tuilagi is back in training but Cockerill will not put a date on the centre’s comeback 15 months since his last appearance. “He’s doing all right. I would have liked him today, playing at tighthead! He’s doing well and we are building his loads up. He will be back on the field sooner rather than later, I hope.”

Saracens are at Harlequins on Saturday. They are, after eight rounds, 15 points ahead of the team in fifth place, Northampton, having scored more points than any other side and conceded the fewest. They are looking unbeatable but their reserves will be tested during the Six Nations, when Borthwick and England will come calling.

Saracens Goode; Ashton, Bosch, Barritt (capt), Wyles (Taylor, 69); Hodgson (Farrell, 55), Wigglesworth (De Kock, 55); M Vunipola (Gill, 63), Brits (George, ht), Du Plessis (Lamositele, 69), Itoje (Hamilton, 69), Kruis, Rhodes (Wray, 55), Fraser, B Vunipola.

Tries Penalty 3, George. Cons Hodgson 2, Farrell.

Leicester Veainu; Camacho, Tait, Bai (Williams, 47), Goneva; Burns, Harrison (B Youngs, 63); Ayerza (Mulipola, 54), Thacker, Balmain (Cole, 54), Barrow, Kitchener, Slater (capt; Fitzgerald, 29), Croft (McCaffrey, 22), Pearce.

Pens Burns 2. Sin-bin Cole 66.

Referee G Garner (RFU). Att 10,000.