1
{{item.n}}
Saracens player ratings vs Sharks | Investec Champions Cup 2025
By Ian Cameron
Saracens player ratings: Mark McCall’s Saracens found Durban heavy going in wet conditions, showing flashes of control and physicality but ultimately losing the arm-wrestle 28-23 against a Sharks side that finished stronger and punished defensive slips.
Here is how the visitors rated.
1. Eroni Mawi – 7.5
Got into Phatu Ganyane well early on and held his own in a proper scrummaging contest. Busy in the loose before departing late.
2. Theo Dan – 8
Finished his maul try well and was one of Saracens’ most effective carriers throughout. His yellow card for a high tackle was more clumsy than cynical and briefly stalled momentum.
VIDEO
3. Marco Riccioni – 7
Strong in the scrum and edged that battle before being forced off with a neck injury. A solid, abrasive outing.
4. Nick Isiekwe – 5
A fairly anonymous innings by his standards. Worked hard without leaving much imprint and departed on 54 minutes.
5. Harry Wilson – 7
Like a runaway dump truck at times with ball in hand. One of the few Saracens forwards who consistently bent the gainline.
6. Theo McFarland – 6.5
A decent engine-room shift and shifted a fair bit of piano, though the lineout was never fully under control.
7. Andy Onyeama-Christie – 5
Fell off too many tackles and had some loose moments at the lineout. His needless late shot on Grant Williams will have no doubt made Mark McCall’s blood boil, as it handed Sharks cheap possession and led directly to a try.
8. Tom Willis – 7
A dominant force on exit plays, repeatedly forcing Sharks to gang tackle him. Took his try well but a couple of fumbles blunted an otherwise strong showing.
9. Charlie Bracken – 7
Kicked very well in difficult wet conditions and managed the game sensibly, particularly with his box kicking. His defence was not spotless but his control and decision-making outweighed the errors in a demanding environment.
10. Fergus Burke – 8
Kicking from the tee was not flawless but he handled the conditions well overall and kept Saracens ticking over territorially. Defensively impressive too, producing one outstanding rip in the tackle to win a crucial turnover. Calm, composed and one of Saracens’ better performers on the night.
11. Angus Hall – 6
Mixed moments under the high ball but showed decent competence in the miserable conditions.
12. Olly Hartley – 6
Dogged effort but struggled defensively against Andre Esterhuizen, as did most who found themselves in that channel. Stayed in the fight.
13. Sam Spink – 7
Finished his close-range try well off a delightful Daly chip behind and offered honesty in contact before going off just after the hour.
14. Rotimi Segun – 5.5
Defensively creaked at times, with Esterhuizen repeatedly testing his edge. Not his cleanest day, and never really got a look in offensively. Not an afternoon for wingers.
15. Elliot Daly – 6
An old head who helped Saracens manage the wet conditions. Supplied a superb kick for Spink’s try but bit in on the Sharks score finished by Edwill van der Merwe and was guilty of a couple of spills.
REPLACEMENTS – 5
Saracens looked to the bench for a spark but it never really came. James Hadfield, Marcus Street and Hugh Tizard added honest graft up front without shifting the contest, while Ben Earl brought tempo but paid for a costly missed tackle on Ethan Hooker. Gareth Simpson, Alex O’Driscoll and Alex Lozowski had little time to influence matters as the Sharks shut the door.
Rugby’s best of the best, ranked by experts. Check out our list of the Top 100 Men's Rugby Players 2025 and let us know what you think!
