Saracens player ratings: Noah Caluori makes it an ‘even ten’, while ‘forgotten man’ leads from the back
Saracens wing Noah Caluori was the star of the show.
Saracens confidently defeated Sale Sharks on Sunday, winning 19-85 at CorpAcq Stadium.
Here’s how we rated the Saracens players:
Backs
15 Max Malins: Made a brilliant break to set up Noah Caluori’s first try and displayed terrific playmaking abilities to create his second. England’s forgotten man was dynamic throughout, signing off with a brilliant offload to Ben Earl to rub salt into the Sharks’ wounds. 9
14 Noah Caluori: Despite having a spelling mistake on his shirt, those around the ground will never forget his name after watching him score five tries to make it an even 10 against Sale this season. He looked incredibly confident with ball in hand and even showed his excellence in the ruck, reinforcing his extraordinary breakthrough season. His highlight reel will be fantastic, but he won’t want his encounter with Asher Opoku-Fordjour to make the showcase, however. It’ll be hard for Steve Borthwick to ignore him now. 10
13 Nick Tompkins: A quiet showing in attack, but worked well in the breakdown, making a couple of turnovers. His tackling wasn’t always solid, but he did enough to make a difference. 6
12 Olly Hartley: Like his centre partner, it wasn’t his game in attack. Instead, he put the graft in, in defence. Did the basics while his teammates strutted their stuff. 5
11 Rotimi Segun: Showed great footwork in his opening mazy run, and shortly afterwards broke the shackles, breaking through two defenders to open the scoring. Strangely quiet after that as he failed to push on from his early excellence. 6
10 Fergus Burke: Controlled the game well in Owen Farrell’s absence and scored a phenomenal solo try. His kicking from the tee was a bit off, but otherwise, he was terrific. 8
9 Charlie Bracken: England’s future nine, for sure. Rapid off the mark and incredibly organised in attack. Deserved his try just before the 50-minute mark. 8
Forwards
8 Tom Willis: Brilliantly bruising as he provided the oomph to put Sale on the back foot. Powered over for his try in the first half, showing all the aggression that’s caused him to be such a powerhouse within the squad. 7
7 Ben Earl: With an entire team on form, for once Earl wasn’t the standout player. This doesn’t mean he wasn’t top quality, however. When he did have the ball in hand, he was as electric as ever, putting the tired Sale bodies to the test. Trotted in for the final try of the game after a clever bit of play by Malins. 6
6 Theo McFarland: Heavily involved in the carry but turned over a couple of times. Kept fighting right until the end, as he showed all the physicality that has made him such an influential Saracens player over the past few years. 7
5 Hugh Tizard: Worked well in the lineout and was all over the park in defence, making a team high of 17 tackles completed. 7
4 Maro Itoje: Chose to offload to Caluori for the second try, but otherwise it was an uneventful match for the British and Irish Lions captain. He did his job in the lineout, made his tackles when needed, but otherwise went very much under the radar. 5
3 Marcus Street: Not the game for a scrummaging prop. Barely on the ball, and only really utilised in defence. Held the scrum well – no complaints. 5
2 Jamie George: Showed some great hands, particularly in the first half, and held an organised lineout. Provided the foundation for those around him to flourish. 6
1 Rhys Carre: The rampaging prop was at it again, flying over for a try after brushing off three players. Showed brilliant hands throughout and scrummed superbly. Certainly from the Tadhg Furlong ilk. 8
Replacements: Nathan Michelow was heavily involved when he arrived on the pitch and was richly rewarded with a try just after the 60-minute mark. Elsewhere, Ivan van Zyl controlled proceedings well from half back, while Farrell kicked the goals. 7