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

Saracens player ratings: There is quite a mix of performances in a game where Saracens managed to blow a 24-7 second-half lead against Northampton Saints in the Gallagher Premiership.

Sarries’ British and Irish Lions contingent came to the fore at Franklin’s Gardens, but ultimately did not do enough to bring home a victory.

The loss means Saracens’ fate is no longer in their own hands ahead of the final league round, where they host league leaders Bath.

Here’s how the players rated:

15 Alex Goode – 5
Bagged a try when Saracens were cruising and looked under no pressure at all at the back. But his uncharacteristic penalty for a tackle in the air in the final 20 minutes was emblematic of the way the game was unravelling for Saracens.

14 Tobias Elliott – 6
Accomplished under the high ball, which bailed his side out when their backs were against the wall in the second half. Came off his wing well when things were going well for his side.

13 Elliot Daly – 7
Sublime line and pass for Saracens’ second try. His distribution was elite, although he did cough up possession on occasion with his ambition. Showed why he’s a Lion and why No.13 may well be his best position.

12 Nick Tompkins – 5
Big defensive shift with 17 tackles and helped the backline gel, but faded as the game slipped from Saracens’ hands.

11 Rotimi Segun – 5
Seemingly stepped every member of the Saints team with one first-half carry and was on the scoresheet soon after the break after searing down the left flank. Northampton were able to make a lot of ground on his left wing in the second half.

10 Fergus Burke – 5
Had so much time and space and made the hosts pay in the first 40. Behind a pack that was rampant, the fly-half was so composed, pulling the strings. Despite being on the losing side, his return of 20 tackles was huge. Two missed conversions proved costly.

9 Ivan van Zyl – 5
Came toe-curlingly close to gifting the Saints a try when he slipped before collecting the ball on his line. Otherwise did everything a scrum-half behind a dominant pack needs to do, but could not help wrestle the game back.

1 Eroni Mawi – 7
Had the upper hand over his opposite man in the scrum, and it helped lay the platform for a dominant display. Will be in disbelief that his side managed to lose once he left the field.

2 Jamie George – 6
Played with freedom with a performance littered with offloads and kicks. Maybe his maturity and leadership was lacking late on.

3 Marco Riccioni – 5
Early scrum penalty won and was rock solid in that department. Left the field as Saracens’ grip was slipping.

4 Maro Itoje – 6
It looked like you had provided the blueprint for how to beat the Saints. Relentless at the breakdown to break up any Saints rhythm. Got his hands on the ball more than usual. Thought he’d caught out his Lions and England team-mate Fin Smith at one point when he burst out the line, only to be penalised for a no-arms tackle.

5 Nick Isiekwe – 6
Made a match-leading 15 tackles when he left the field with 15 minutes remaining. In a pack full of superstars, the lock did plenty of quiet work, especially with tackles that allowed an electric back-row to attack the ball.

Player Carries

1

Tom Litchfield

18

2

Tommy Freeman

17

3

Fin Smith

17

6 Juan Martin Gonzalez – 7
Scored his fourth try in two weeks with Sarries’ second. A terrier at the breakdown, but displayed an equal share of finesse- particularly his pass to Elliott to create Goode’s try. Left the field injured before half-time. A cruel end to a player in a rich vein of form and his absence was certainly felt.

7 Ben Earl – 7
Ben Earl 1, Henry Pollock 0. The battle between the two Lions was the narrative heading into the match, and the Saracen came away the winner. Tackled hard, stole ball for fun on the floor and was even deployed as a choke tackler to stultify the Saints’ attack. One huge turnover in his 22 with 10 minutes remaining.

8 Tom Willis – 5
Looked to have had the bit between the teeth and carried with venom. Saints just could not handle him early on, but his influence did diminish. Manhandled Henry Pollock on one occasion, slamming him backwards to the ground.

Replacements – 2
The game was comfortably in Saracens’ hands when they started to roll out the changes, but the Saints bench actually looked far more dangerous, with the visitors’ substitutes failing to bring stability in a game they were losing control of. That began at the scrum, but there were some handling errors across the board. A yellow card to Andy Onyeama-Christie following a penalty try typified how the six forward replacements struggled.