Northampton 28-24 Saracens: Player Ratings - Tarek Haffar brace stuns Sarries for incredible Saints comeback

Despite scoring first, with Josh Kemeny diving over, Saints were second best for the first hour of the match – rightfully losing 24-7 after tries for Willis, Gonzalez, Goode and Segun.

But with 20 minutes remaining the hosts fought back as Haffar reduced the deficit to 10 points before a penalty try further reduced it to three.

Then, in his final play at Franklin’s Gardens in a Northampton shirt, the loosehead prop received an offload, ran around Charlie Bracken and dotted down between the posts to confirm a famous win for his team.

TRIES: 4 (Kemeny 8’, Haffar 60’, 80’, Penalty 72’)

PENALTIES: 0

CONVERSIONS: 3 (Smith 9’, Hutchinson 60’, 80’)

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS: 0

RED CARDS: 0

TRIES: 4 (Willis 13’, Gonzalez 19’, Goode 36’, Segun 43’)

PENALTIES: 0

CONVERSIONS: 2 (Burke 20’, 37’)

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS: 1 (Onyeama-Christie 72’)

RED CARDS: 0

It was a challenging game for Ramm as Goode targeted kicks in behind throughout the match. The full back put in a fine performance to cover the backfield and made a brilliant recovery kick in the 24^th minute before hobbling off with an ankle injury in the 36^th, being replaced by Seabrook.

Despite an incredibly quiet first half Freeman showed his class. The winger made 13 carries, with the vast majority in the second period, to spearhead a magnificent Saints comeback and be named as the TNT Sports ‘Player of the Match’.

Dingwall also struggled to get into the game for the first hour as Saracens dominated however defended his 13 channel well and led his team brilliantly.

Struggled to have a huge impact on the game whilst playing at 12 but after his move to fly half in the 56^th minute looked really impressive. A crucial turnover in the 78^th minute as Elliott looked to break away was the highlight of his game as he guided Northampton to victory.

Litchfield matched the trend of the other Northampton backs, struggling to see any of the ball prior to the interval. Litchfield made a lovely break down the left wing in the 56^th minute which proved to be a key turning point in the game.

Smith had a quiet game before being replaced just before the hour mark but still managed to show glimpses of his ability. The chip to set up Kemeny’s try was magnificent and he carried the ball close to the line regularly which was a positive.

Mitchell was also replaced after an hour, having struggled to make a huge impact in the first half the 9 lifted the Northampton intensity early in the second. The recently selected British and Irish Lion took a tap penalty to set up Haffar’s first try and would have also earned an assist in the 49^th minute if Coles grounded the ball correctly.

It was certainly a game to forget for Iyogun as he was bullied at scrum time by Riccioni – the loosehead prop also dropped the ball on, on multiple occasions, hindering his sides attempts to build momentum in the Saracens 22.

Langdon suffered a shoulder injury trying to tackle an Earl at maximum velocity at the back of a lineout early in the match. He remained on the pitch for a little longer, making an impressive carry from the base of a ruck in the 24^th minute before being replaced in the 27^th.

Similarly to his prop partner, Davison struggled to the dominant force in the scrum and made an unforced knock on in the 50^th minute before being replaced soon after.

Mayanavanua was a dominant force on either side of the ball but failed to show any highlight-reel worthy moments in the game. An offload in the 16^th minute after being smashed by Burke was the Fijian’s main highlight in the match.

Worked hard physically on both sides of the ball.

Usually a lock, Coles put in a fine performance on the flank, winning a jackal penalty in the 15^th minute to relieve a great deal of pressure for his side. He should have had a try midway through the second half but the ball just escaped his grasp as he knocked it on.

Jackal penalty to relieve pressure 15’

Kemeny put in a really impressive and aggressive performance throughout the match, carrying the ball really hard – particularly when the tide started to turn for his team in the second half. The openside did really well to gather a bobbling ball and cross the line for the opening score of the match.

Did really well to gather the bobbling ball and dot down for the opening try of the match, carried the ball really aggressively, particularly early in the second half

Struggled to have the impact on the game that he would have liked after evidently being targeted by the Saracens back row. Pollock often looked to over play, giving away an eager offside penalty in the 11^th minute and trying to kick or offload the ball at the wrong moments while his team were under pressure.

In an almost complete antithesis to the Northampton backs, Goode played wonderfully for the first hour but in the business end the match let his quality decrease. In his 401^st match for the club, the full back set the tone with a brilliant kick off which was followed up by a series of good kicks in behind throughout the match. He deserved his try late in the first half and showed his quick hands as he passed the ball well in the buildup to Segun’s try. However, he conceded the penalty that led to Saints third score and was lucky to stay on the pitch after a tackle in the air on Dingwall, only three metres away from his own line.

Elliott was brilliant. He led the Saracens kick chase for the entirety of the game and made the break that led to Goode’s try. The young winger also looked comfortable under the high ball, recording impressive catches in the 51^st and 78^th minutes in addition to a lovely counterattack late in the game.

Daly was really impressive in the opening stages of the game, throwing both a nice offload in the buildup to Willis’ try and a huge 20 metre plus try to Gonzalez to set up his score.

Tompkins had a fairly quiet game on either side of the ball.

The left winger showed his pace on multiple occasions, firstly making a break in the opening half of the game after fielding a kick in the backfield. He also showed his gas as he sprinted to the corner to score his try in the left corner early in the second half.

Sliced his conversion attempt after Willis’ try but took his second from out on the right touchline, kicked poorly in behind on multiple occasions but controlled the way his team played well as they went on to record an important victory.

It was an average game for van Zyl, he box kicked mostly well despite having one charged down by Pollock in the first half.

A poor knock on in his sides first attack of the match summed up Mawi’s game, however he scrummaged well and did all he was asked defensively.

Threw very well into the lineout and had a number of really nice touches, a kick over the Saints defence pulled back for a forward pass in the buildup was a highlight.

The Italian tighthead dominated his opposite man at set piece throughout the game, earning numerous scrum penalties before being replaced on the hour mark.

Itoje led from the front, matching the level of physicality that his backrow showed throughout the match – the British and Irish Lion captain tackled Litchfield into touch in the 9^th minute and won jackal turnovers in the 14^th and 30^th minutes to alleviate Saints pressure. Occasionally, Itoje seemed a little over-exuberant, conceding numerous penalties in the second half for things like no arms tackles and off feet tackles.

Isiekwe did all that was asked of him on either side of the ball but failed to have any match defining moments. The lock received a standing ovation from the Franklin’s Gardens’ faithful, thanking him for his contribution to the club whilst he was on loan their a few seasons ago.

Played a key role in a mesmerising Saracens back row performance. The Argentine tackled hard, jackaled aggressively and took his try in the 19^th minute really well out on the right wing before being replaced by McFarland on the stroke of half time due to a knee injury.

Earl was fantastic in the match, despite being on the wrong side of the result. He carried, tackled and jackaled exactly as you would hope a British and Irish Lion would, winning impactful turnovers in the 7^th and 70^th minutes.

The No. 8 matched the physicality of his back row partners. A brilliant shot on Pollock in the 6^th minute set the tone before muscling over the line in the 13^th minute for his team’s opening try of the match.