Saracens’ impressive home record against Sale Sharks scored in a 21-17 defeat in the second round of the Gallagher PREM 2026/27 season.
Saracens they were unable to capitalize on their numerical advantage and the Sharks went down to 13 after Jacques Vermeulen was shown red and Alex Lozowski was sent to the sin bin. Saracens, for the most part, were dull in attack, in no small part due to the Sharks’ hard defensive pressure.
Here’s how the Saracen players rated it on StoneX.
1. Eroni Mawi – 6
He scored his team’s first goal in the 34th minute. This score came in two stages after a scrum contest with Asher Opoku-Fordjour. Far from being set up, the powerful Fijian was a key anchor for his side during his 40 minutes on the pitch.
2. According to Day – 7.5
Dan battled against challengers for his place in the league England set-up. He got going, ran dangerous support lines and was on top of the curry and meter cards. Unfortunately, he left the action in the 65th minute due to an injury.
3. Markus Street – 4
He struggled to contain Nicky Smith during the fight, even with the numerical advantage. Around the park, Street was heavily involved in the breakdown. Far from this, he had just one carry and five tackles.
4. Maro Itoje – 6
He came up with some big moments on defense. His turnover in the 51st minute swerved the momentum away Sale result to a strong output. Offering himself as a willing carrier again and again, Itoje had a good battle with his long-time colleague Courtney Lawes.
5. Hugh Tizard – 4
Relatively quiet in terms of statistics, the big lock did its best work when it broke. Facing the Sharks offense, Tizard had his hands full with Tom Curry and co.
6. Nick Isiekwe – 7
He got the timing wrong in the build-up to what should have been Saracens’ opening try, tripping up the Sale defenders at the moment of the kick. This moment aside, Isiekwe was front and center for the home team as the main target at run time and the best player when all was said and done.
7. Juan Martin Gonzalez – 6.5
He was withdrawn in the 53rd minute as his team’s top striker with 12 at the time. Going through solid work with ball in hand, Argentina International enjoyed the physical challenge of the Sharks.
8. Alfie Barbeary – 7
He returned early from a major challenge, which saw him go to HIA. Upon return, ex Bath Prominent set the platform for his side to capitalize on their abundance of possessions and territory. His carry at the back of a messy scrum set up the opening score for Eroni Mawi.
9. Thomas Williams – 6
A match of moments from Lions scrum-half, who opened up the Sale defense when the Sarries pack got going. When Sale reached parity on the gain line, he forced the action on several occasions.
10. Fergus Burke – 5
Challenged the Sharks defense with some nice passing and shot selection. His execution was not quite where it needed to be at times and his two missed conversions put his side under pressure and ended up being the difference between the two sides. He showed his class through the ball to Sione Va’enuka for Sarries’ second try.
11. Rotimi Segun – 6
Heavily marked by the Sale defence, the dangerous winger had to struggle hard to get hold of the ball in what amounted to an arm-wrestle. Taking a high ball under serious duress from Tom Curry was impressive, as was a well-timed tackle on Tom O’Flaherty, who looked on course for a second try in the second half.
12. John Vanderbilt – 6
A few dropped balls aside, the former Sydney Roosters prospect was solid on both sides of the ball. He finished his strong performance with a well finished try.
13. Nick Tompkins – 5
He came close to securing his side’s opening try in the 21st minute, but it was disallowed for an earlier maul offence. All in all, Wales the international was solid defensively, but a late read in the 65th minute allowed Ben Bamber to go over unchallenged.
14. Jack Bracken – 7
He won the tackle early and played his part in Saracens’ attacking chances. A moment that will live long in the memory was his break in the 73rd minute, which caused his brother Charlie to attempt a try which sparked the finish in the stands.
15. Elliot Daly – 7
Went to class with what appeared to be a foot problem. Before that, the English veteran was a real spark for his team. Probing the well-organised Sale defense with a varied set of short shots, Daly was instrumental in the limited attacking opportunities afforded his side.
Substitutes – 6
The substitutions brought much-needed energy, particularly Ben Earls, George Martin and Charlie Bracken, who all made their presence felt. Still, it wasn’t quite enough to swing the momentum against the Sharks game suit.