Saracens player ratings: ‘Avoidable’ penalties prove costly as prop the ‘real standout’ in PREM loss to Leicester Tigers
Theo McFarland in action for Saracens against Leicester Tigers.
Following a 36-28 defeat to Leicester Tigers in the PREM on Sunday, here’s our Saracens player ratings from Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
The backs
15 Elliot Daly: Managed to shake off an early injury scare but would later spend 10 minutes on the sideline after dropping the shoulder and hitting Billy Searle late after the Tiger had kicked ahead. Daly could easily have not gone through with the tackle, and his day got worse in the second period with another avoidable penalty against him, this time for being offside from a kick, before a wayward pass into touch. A disappointing shift. 3
14 Rotimi Segun: Didn’t see much of the ball in the first half, and when he did, he was bundled into touch. Enjoyed a rare moment of joy on 50 minutes when running a killer line off the back of a lineout. 4
13 Lucio Cinti: Five missed tackles is not a number he will be happy to read later this evening as he struggled defensively against a sharp Tigers side. 4
12 Nick Tompkins: Typically didn’t shirk his defensive duties as Saracens had to dig in for long periods of this game. Didn’t see much from an attacking sense as the visiting backline was notably quiet. 5
11 Max Malins: Simply had to do better in his attempt to tackle Adam Radwan early on, which ultimately resulted in Freddie Steward scoring from a smart Searle grubber through. Otherwise, he was especially quiet as Radwan gave him a torrid afternoon. Pulls his score up a mark after laying on Charlie Bracken for a try at the death. 4
10 Fergus Burke: A shocker of a first attempt at goal from the Scotland international that sailed well wide. However, he made amends on 23 minutes when converting Theo McFarland’s try. Showed his evasive qualities but was well beaten in his individual battle with Searle. 5
9 Ivan van Zyl: Has not been at his best in recent weeks and unfortunately things didn’t improve today, with a disastrous intercept pass to Radwan on the hour ending Saracens’ hopes of an unlikely fightback. 4
The forwards
8 Tom Willis: Started the game with a typical Willis carry and later did unbelievably well to hold up Will Wand over the try-line as he looked destined to score. Not his usual barnstorming self, but still racked up 14 carries for 49 metres on the day. 6
7 Ben Earl: It was a strangely quiet day at the office for the England international. Most of his work was without the ball as he ended with 12 tackles made, but Saracens needed more from their man. 4
6 Theo McFarland: Showed good strength to power over in the first half for his try, but would later tackle Searle high and give away another avoidable penalty for obstructing a Leicester player from getting airborne. 5
5 Hugh Tizard: Typically busy around the field. Put in a huge hit towards the end of the first half that dislodged the ball – but was replaced, possibly prematurely on 53 minutes. 5
4 Nick Isiekwe: A steady opening to the game despite Saracens’ early troubles, as he put it about defensively with seven tackles. However, Isiekwe’s afternoon was ended on the half-hour mark after he was withdrawn from the field for a HIA he subsequently failed. 4
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3 Marco Riccioni: Solid enough from the Italian tighthead in the opening stanza and won a scrum penalty against Nicky Smith early in the second half to claim the bragging rights there. Withdrawn on 53 minutes. 6
2 Jamie George: Busy around the field early on and had a hand in the McFarland try after taking the initial tap-and-go. But, like Isiekwe, George was withdrawn for a HIA, which he also faile,d as Theo Dan replaced him much earlier than Saracens would have liked. 5
1 Rhys Carre: One of Saracens’ better players. The Wales international won a breakdown penalty early on and then barged over the whitewash in the second. He was an excellent carrying option throughout and was a real standout today. 8
Replacements: The bench managed to pull Saracens back into the contest as the aforementioned Dan was busy, while Eroni Mawi and Maro Itoje added weight up front. But the star of the show was Juan Martin Gonzalez, who claimed a deserved try as did Bracken late in the piece. 7
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