Saracens player ratings vs Sale Sharks | 2026/27 Gallagher PREM

Saracens’ impressive home record against Sale Sharks took a hit with a 21-17 loss in round two of the 2026/27 Gallagher PREM season.

Saracens were unable to capitalise on a numerical advantage, with the Sharks down to 13 after Jacques Vermeulen was shown red and Alex Lozowski was sent to the sin-bin. Saracens were, by and large, blunt in attack, in no small part due to the Sharks’ hard defensive press.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Saracens

17 - 21

Full-time

Sale

All Stats and Data

Here is how the Saracens players rated at the StoneX.

1. Eroni Mawi – 6
Drove over for his side’s opening score in the 34th minute. This score came two phases after a nip-and-tuck scrum contest with Asher Opoku-Fordjour. Away from the set-piece, the powerful Fijian was a key carrier for his side during his 40 minutes on the pitch.

2. Theo Dan – 7.5
Dan was pitted against a challenger for his spot in the England set-up. He put himself about, running dangerous support lines and topping the carries and metres-made charts. He unfortunately departed the action in the 65th minute with an injury.

3. Marcus Street – 4
Struggled to contain Nicky Smith at scrum time, even with a numerical advantage. Around the park, Street was heavily involved at the breakdown. Away from this, he had just one carry and five tackles.

4. Maro Itoje – 6
Came up with a few big moments defensively. His turnover in the 51st minute swung momentum away from a possible Sale score to a strong exit. Offering himself as a willing carrier time and again, Itoje had a good battle with his long-time colleague Courtney Lawes.

5. Hugh Tizard – 4
Relatively quiet with respect to the stat sheet, the big lock did his best work at the breakdown. Facing an onslaught from the Sharks, Tizard had his hands full with Tom Curry and co.

6. Nick Isiekwe – 7
Got his timing wrong in the build-up to what should have been Saracens’ opening try, obstructing the Sale defenders at maul time. This moment aside, Isiekwe was front and centre for the home side as the go-to target at lineout time and the top tackler when all was said and done.

7. Juan Martin Gonzalez – 6.5
Was withdrawn in the 53rd minute as his side’s top tackler with 12 at the time. Getting through solid work with ball in hand, the Argentina international relished the physical challenge of the Sharks.

8. Alfie Barbeary – 7
Bounced back from a big challenge early on, which saw him depart for an HIA. Upon his return, the former Bath standout laid the platform for his side to capitalise on their abundance of possession and territory. His carry on the back of a messy scrum set up the opening score for Eroni Mawi.

9. Tomos Williams – 6
A match of moments from the Lions scrum-half, who opened up the Sale defence when the Sarries pack got rolling. When Sale gained parity at the gainline, he forced the action on a few occasions.

10. Fergus Burke – 5
Challenged the Sharks defence with nice pass and kick selection. His execution at times wasn’t quite where it needed to be, and his two missed conversions put his side under pressure and were ultimately the difference between the two sides. He showed his class with an over-the-top ball to Sione Va’enuku for Sarries’ second try.

11. Rotimi Segun – 6
Heavily marked by the Sale defence, the dangerous winger had to work hard to get on the ball in what was an arm wrestle of a contest. Plucking a high ball under serious duress from Tom Curry was impressive, as was a well-timed tackle on Tom O’Flaherty, who looked to be on his way for a second try in the second half.

12. Sione Va’enuku – 6
A few dropped balls aside, the former Sydney Roosters prospect was solid on both sides of the ball. He capped his heavy-carrying performance with a well-finished try.

13. Nick Tompkins – 5
Came close to securing his side’s opening try in the 21st minute, only to have it chalked off due to an earlier maul infringement. On balance, the Wales international was rock-solid defensively, but one late read in the 65th minute allowed Ben Bamber to race over unchallenged.

14. Jack Bracken – 7
Overcame a knock early on to play his part in Saracens’ attacking opportunities. One moment that will live long in the memory was his 73rd-minute break, which put his brother Charlie in for a try that sparked a grandstand finish.

15. Elliot Daly – 7
Departed on the hour mark with what appeared to be a foot problem. Prior to this, the England veteran was a real bright spark for his side. Probing the well-organised Sale defence with a varied short kicking game, Daly was instrumental in the limited attacking opportunities his side were afforded.

Substitutes – 6
The replacements brought some much-needed energy, in particular Ben Earls, George Martin and Charlie Bracken, who all made their presence felt. Still, it was not quite enough to swing the momentum against a game Sharks outfit.