Saracens player ratings: A dark day for former European heavyweights Saracens, who fell to an embarrassing 32-24 home defeat to an understrength Castres outfit.
Here are the Saracens player ratings:
1. Eroni Mawi – 5
Solid in the scrum but struggled to impose himself in open play. Subbed at halftime.
2. Theo Dan – 8
Saracens’ best performer. Scored two tries, including a crucial effort to secure the try bonus point. Carried with intent and worked tirelessly at the breakdown. Not his fault.
3. Fraser Balmain – 5
Held his own at the scrum but lacked impact around the field. Taken off at halftime.
4. Maro Itoje – 6
Not a poor performance as such from Itoje but Saracens and England fans will be hoping there’s more fight left in the second-row than was on show today. On a bleak day for the London club, you have to wonder has Steve Borthwick made the right choice in appointing him England captain.
5. Hugh Tizard – 5
Showed some promise early on with powerful carries and dominant hits but faded as the game progressed.
6. Juan Martin Gonzalez – 7
Impressive at the breakdown, winning turnovers at crucial moments. Made important tackles and was unlucky not to score after coming inches short.
7. Ben Earl – 7
Scored two tries but was guilty of conceding three turnovers and was bumped off too easily for Seguret’s opening try. Mixed bag overall.
8. Tom Willis – 8
Like a battering ram, he consistently dented the Castres defence with powerful carries. Along with Dan was a standout in Saracens’ otherwise fairly anonymous forward pack.
9. Ivan van Zyl – 4
Decent service but struggled defensively, with Castres repeatedly targeting his channel.
10. Fergus Burke – 5
Showed moments of creativity but failed to control the game under pressure from Castres’ extra nasty defence.
11. Rotimi Segun – 7
Lively in attack and made several important breaks. His speed and footwork caused problems for the French defence.
12. Nick Tompkins – 5
Quiet performance and struggled to create opportunities in midfield. Subbed early in the second half.
13. Alex Lozowski – 5
Bit of a no-show and he wasn’t the only one. Reliable from the tee and showed a little of what he can do in attack, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
14. Tobias Elliott – 6
Profligate with possession, conceding turnovers at key moments. Showed plenty of beans when he could hold on to the ball though.
15. Elliot Daly – 5
Paper-thin defence for Seguret’s second try and failed to shore-up the backfield. Did well to find touch on a few penalties but overall a disappointing outing.
REPLACEMENTS
16. Jamie George – 6
Added experience and composure in the final quarter but couldn’t shift the momentum.
17. Phil Brantingham – 6
Threw himself about, especially in the tackling department.
18. Marco Riccioni – 6
Worked hard in the scrum got through a decent bit of defensive work.
19. Nathan Michelow – NA
Limited time to influence the game.
20. Toby Knight – NA
A quiet performance before his game ended prematurely with injury.
21. Gareth Simpson – NA
Not on long enough to rate.
22. Olly Hartley – 5
Failed to spark the backline after replacing Tompkins.
23. Angus Hall – 5
Little opportunity to showcase his ability.
