Following a 36-29 loss to Bath in their PREM Rugby clash at the StoneX Stadium on Sunday, here’s our player ratings for Mark McCall’s men.
15 Elliot Daly: Playing in just his first PREM game of the season, Daly looked full of beans early on and performed strongly in the full-back jersey. He was busy in possession while providing a handy kicking option and set up Max Malins well for his second try with a quick draw and give. However, his threat fizzled out as the game wore on and a long-range penalty miss proved costly late on. 6
14 Noah Caluori: The youngster is a special talent in the air but Bath certainly did their homework in that department as Henry Arundell did well to negate that threat and ultimately keep the Saracens wing quiet. 5
13 Lucio Cinti: Had an impressive start when he drew the last defender for Malins’ early try. However, there was little else to report thereafter in a relatively quiet outing from the Puma. 5
12 Nick Tompkins: A typically nuggety performance from the Wales international as he put it about throughout. Solid. 6
11 Max Malins: Took his early try well with a nice one-two with Cinti down the left wing. His second score was a walk-in after collecting a quick Daly pass and he was a constant threat on Sunday, albeit in a losing cause. 7
10 Owen Farrell: Plenty of cross-kicks as he tried to keep the Bath defence guessing in the first half. Farrell, with dad Andy watching on, backed that up with amazing flat pass to Ben Earl that led to Juan Martin Gonzalez’s try. A missed conversion for Malins’ second try was put to bed well with a welcome drop goal on 36 minutes but a dip in his second-half performance coincided with Finn Russell finding his touch. 6
9 Ivan van Zyl: A costly stumble at the base of a ruck led to a wayward pass that was picked off by Arundell for his try on 19 minutes. He later took a wrong option by going down a blindside that was quickly shut by Bath. Not his best outing at the base. 4
The forwards
8 Tom Willis: Got through plenty of work early on before an awkward landing in a carry caused him to yelp in pain. His afternoon was eventually cut short on 20 minutes and Saracens will hope it’s nothing serious. 5
7 Ben Earl: Ran a great line from a fantastic Farrell pass to burst through the Bath line and that led to Gonzalez’s first try. Moved to number eight after Willis departed and got through plenty of work. 7
6 Juan Martin Gonzalez: A special talent and deservedly dotted down twice in the match. The Argentina international has an all-court game and that was evident with his impressive steal on Thomas du Toit. What a signing he has been for Saracens. 8
5 Hugh Tizard: Put in a solid shift in the tight and saw more of the ball in open play in the second period, offering himself in support on more than one occasion. 6
4 Theo McFarland: Another to grow more into the game as it wore on, the incredible athlete was prominent in the second half. Solid but Bath did a decent job limiting his impact. 13 tackles is a decent effort defensively. 6
3 Marco Riccioni: A decent hour from the Italy international as he was prominent around the field and solid enough in a largely even scrum battle when he was on the field. 6
2 Theo Dan: Gave away early penalty on the ground but was busy and polished thereafter. Dan showed great feet to get Saracens within striking range for Malins’ second try on 32 minutes as he grew in confidence as the game played out, finishing with a team high 14 carries. 7
1 Rhys Carre: Pinged at a scrum early on and didn’t really get a chance to show his carrying threat today. Replaced early in the second period by Eroni Mawi. 5
Replacements: Harry Wilson led the bench charge with a wonderful hit on Joe Cokanasiga while the front-row will also puff their chests out after winning a scrum penalty in their own 22. However, there’s no hiding from the fact it was Bath who finished the game much the stronger. 6
READ MORE: Saracens v Bath: Result, scorers, stats and more