Following a 28-23 defeat to the Sharks in the Investec Champions Cup clash at Kings Park Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Saracens.
Backs
15 Elliot Daly: His boot was useful, particularly in the first half, but he did not get too many chances to attack with ball in hand. 6
14 Rotimi Segun: Chased hard and was typically spirited but Makazole Mapimpi very much got the better of him in this contest, winning the aerial battle. 5
13 Sam Spink: Scored a try after latching onto a kick through and he was solid throughout but the Sharks did have some joy in that channel. 6
12 Olly Hartley: A talented player who is perhaps unlucky not to get more game time but Hartley took his opportunity here and was excellent for Saracens. 8
11 Angus Hall: Similar to Segun, Hall struggled to get into the match with the Sharks having the better of the back three battle. 5
10 Fergus Burke: Plenty of nice moments from the fly-half after standing in for Owen Farrell. His control of the game is getting better, but George Whitehead did get take the individual duel. 6
9 Charlie Bracken: Excellent from the young scrum-half, who is developing all the time. It has already been a breakthrough season for the son of ex-England star, Kyran, and he stepped up here, bringing tempo to the game and accuracy with his kicking. 8
Forwards
8 Tom Willis: There were so many good things from the big number eight once again but he will rue the knock-on which enabled the Sharks one final attack in the first half. He more than made up for it with his overall performance but it knocks him down a mark. 7
7 Andy Onyeama-Christie (c): Talking of that third Sharks try, Onyeama-Christie also had a critical role to play as following Willis’ knock on, he hit Grant Williams late. The flanker was otherwise relentless but it was a moment of stupidity which cost his side. 6
6 Theo McFarland: Not quite had the stellar campaign as we’re used to and once again McFarland wasn’t quite at his best despite putting in a good shift. 6
5 Harry Wilson: A big lump of a man who put himself about and matched up well to the Sharks’ physicality with some good carries. 7
4 Nick Isiekwe: Lineout went pretty smoothly with Isiekwe on the field as the England lock put in a good shift. 6
3 Marco Riccioni: Has had a fine season and the Italian once again competed well in the scrum. The set-piece was a fascinating battle with it going one way and then the other. 6
2 Theo Dan: Like Willis, it was all-action display from the hooker but Dan needs to work on his ball security in the carry as it results in some needless errors. Still, the hooker was absolutely everywhere. 7
1 Eroni Mawi: Similar to Riccioni, the Fijian enjoyed his battle in the scrum with the Sharks trio, while he made a decent contribution in the loose. 7
Replacements: They started to struggle in the set-piece once the bench came on and, although the visitors improved to almost snatch the victory late on, those errors were ultimately costly. It was not terrible but Saracens did not get the impact they needed. 5