Saracens player ratings v Toulouse: ‘Truly immense’ forward gets deserved ‘standing ovation’ and England veteran ‘rolls back the years’
Tom Willis and Rotimi Segun starred for Saracens in their win over Toulouse as did Jamie George, inset (Pic by INPHO/Tom Maher)
Following a tremendous 20-14 win against Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup at StoneX Stadium on Sunday, here are the Saracens player ratings.
Saracens player ratings
15. Elliot Daly: Rolled the dice at times with his shooting from the line defence to shut down space and limit the passing channel. The tactic worked, Saracens keeping the vaunted Toulouse attack scoreless from the 46th minute of the second half playing against the wind. 6
14. Noah Caluori: The rookie will learn so much from being involved in this type of mega fixture. Could have gone in on himself after he missed Blair Kinghorn’s try-scoring run and then failed to take an Alex Lozowski pass soon after, but he battled on gamely, especially in the aerial stakes. 6
13. Alex Lozowski: Played 53 minutes before giving way to Owen Farrell; his highlight was the generous role he played in the creation of the two Rotimi Segun tries. Sandwiched in between was the butchering of a try change, failing to grasp the ball as it bobbled over the line. 7
12. Olly Hartley: Partnering Lozowski for the first time this season, his defensive resoluteness was important for Saracens. Helped put some manners in the Toulouse attack, including the 27th-minute scramble back that ended with him winning a turnover penalty at a breakdown. 7
11. Rotimi Segun: A joy to watch and a fully deserved standing ovation when he exited in 68 minutes. Shrugged off an in-game ankle injury to score twice in a brilliant five-minute spell late in the first half. Continued to carry in the second, which was vital as it helped his team wind down the clock playing into the wind. 8
10. Fergus Burke: Piloted his team with intelligence, helping to limit the early damage and then play a part in ushering them into a lead via Segun that they were never to lose. There was also that super break and kick ahead that left Lozowski with the line at his mercy. 7
9. Ivan van Zyl: Faced a huge test against Antoine Dupont, even though there is just something not right about the French superstar when he wears his leggings, like he had done so in last month’s Toulouse loss at Glasgow. Quicken and slowed the tempo when Saracens needed, he was great value for his 54 minutes. 7
Forwards
8 Tom Willis: This is what it will be like every week when he returns to the Top 14 next season, a brick wall of a challenge where he has to run hard every time and chip away. Played through the pain barrier here and was truly immense on the ball, capping his effort with the third Saracens try just before the break. Defiant in defence as well, destruction encapsulated by his try-saying intervention on 52 minutes. Another who departed to a standing ovation when he left the fray with nine minutes remaining. 9
7 Juan-Martin Gonzalez: Could easily get overlooked with the plaudits getting dished out elsewhere, but his 53-minute performance was at the heart of this victory’s performance – especially his involvement when Toulouse led 7-0 and were hungry for more points. 7
6 Theo McFarland: The back-rower’s athleticism has always been his trademark, and he can now add Dupont to his list of victims. It was his charge down of a clearance kick from the scrum-half on 29 minutes that radically altered the momentum of this match, finally getting his team on the front foot for their three-try surge before the interval. 8
5 Hugh Tizard: Saracens’ player of the month for December, he continued that glue-like influence, eclipsing the presence of the vaunted Emmanuel Meafou and showing off his admirable engine for this sort of tit-for-tat fight. 7
4 Maro Itoje (c): The skipper’s first club start since October, he was in his element facing the enormous challenges posed by Toulouse. He was effective in nearly everything he did, apart from a couple of lineout losses at the tail. Kept the feeling positive on the pitch with his winning the small moments energy, including a 24th-minute possession rip on Santiago Chocobares at a time when the French were on top. 8
3 Marcus Street: Blew apart the myth that tightheads can’t play full matches. Lasted the full 80 and got better as the game went on, especially in the scrum. The cheer that greeted his 60th-minute penalty win was massive with his team defending a three-point lead. Class. 8
2 Jamie George: Rolled back the years with his energy and his numerous involvements on the ball, playing a crucial part in one of the Segun tries. Another who stayed fresh and played every minute. 8
1 Eroni Mawi: His 100th appearance for the club, he can take pride that it was a winning one even though he was the first starter to exit on 51 minutes not long after Saracens had been penalised at the scrum. 7
Replacements: Mark McCall didn’t dip into his full bench, preferring instead to use only his main cover players. Rhys Carre was an important addition, winning a couple of scrum penalties. Farrell was an assuring presence who added a penalty kick. Also influential was Ben Earl, while rookie nine Charlie Bracken didn’t look out of place. 7