Northampton Saints player ratings vs Saracens | 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership

Northampton Saints player ratings: Northampton delivered a comeback for the ages on Saturday at Franklin’s Gardens, overturning a 24-7 second-half deficit against Saracens to win.

When Northampton started removing their key players midway through the second half, it looked as though it was a case of damage limitation with the Investec Champions Cup final against Bordeaux-Begles next weekend.

Very few of the home supporters would have foreseen what unfolded in the final 20 minutes, as the hosts let loose to win at the death.

Here’s how the players rated:

15 James Ramm – 6
Hobbled off before half-time after soldiering on. Asked some questions in the wider channels, but was not on the field long enough. Will be a huge concern ahead of next week.

14 Tommy Freeman – 9
After a quiet start, he tried to force his way into the game a bit more. A move to outside centre helped that, as he finished the match with the most carries and most metres carried. Led the charge in the second half and was deservedly named player of the match.

13 Fraser Dingwall – 7
Delivered the match-winning offload to penetrate a Saracens defence that at one point swarmed all over him. A big final ten minutes from the centre to pull off an unlikely win.

12 Rory Hutchinson – 8
Has so much poise taking the ball to the line and links perfectly with Fin Smith. Then again, his greatest impact was once the No.10 left the field and moved to fly-half for the final 20 minutes as Saints ran riot.

11 Tom Litchfield – 7
His most important intervention in the game came with just seconds remaining as he was on Dingwall’s shoulder to break the Saracens defence and get the one-handed offload to Tarek Haffar for the match-winner. A nice reward after a match where he made a joint-most 17 carries.

10 Fin Smith – 7
Created the opening try of the match with a grubber kick that could not have been weighted any more perfectly- all the process of falling backwards. Seemed unflustered by the strong Sarries defence, but the fact that he had to take the ball into contact a lot may well be a reflection of the lack of time and options he had. Too great a risk to leave him on the field with what lies ahead, so he was removed before the hour mark.

9 Alex Mitchell – 6
In the face of an oppressive Saracens defence, the British and Irish Lion continued to inject energy into the attack. Looked like the visitors had got the better of him though when he left the field after an hour.

1 Emmanuel Iyogun – 4
Second-best at the scrum and could not make an impression on the Saracens defence, even coughing up possession once. Outshone by his replacement Haffar.

2 Curtis Langdon – 5
Left the field after 25 minutes following a shoulder injury. Given what’s to come both for Saints and potentially England, Phil Dowson and Steve Borthwick will hope it was nothing more than a stinger.

3 Trevor Davison – 4
Had some issues at the scrum which he looked to have resolved as the first half developed, only to return in the second 40.

4 Temo Mayanavanua – 6
Not an afternoon for the Fijian to exhibit what he is capable of against a suffocating defence. Left the field after an hour, and would have been gutted from the sideline as the game became far looser.

5 Tom Lockett – 7
The Saints’ lineout functions far more smoothly with the 22-year-old in the pack, who was able to exert some pressure on the opponents’ throw as well.

6 Alex Coles – 6
Brought the fight back to Saracens at the breakdown with turnovers of his own. Knocked the ball over the line in the second half, which, at the time, looked as though it could have been decisive.

7 Josh Kemeny – 8
Scored the opening try of the match, managing to gather a bobbling ball to dot down. Came to the fore in the second half when the game looked to be drifting away from his side with some explosive carries. Roped off early on, clearly as the focus turned to next week.

8 Henry Pollock – 7
Certainly didn’t have it all his own way, as Saracens’ back-row clearly targeted him. Unsurprisingly, he did not relent.

Replacements – 9
The bench was deployed early with injuries creeping in, which would inevitably upset the rhythm the hosts had. But the substitutes in the second half provided more impetus, particularly loosehead Haffar, who crashed over to score. Haffar, alongside Elliot Millar Mills, started to come out on top at the scrum, which gave their side a fighting chance in the match. Special mention must go to Haffar, who scored the final try to deliver the win.