Charles Piutau – 7
His handling was mainly spot on, especially under the high ball, but found himself swamped by Saracens defenders. That said, even though he didn’t produce his A-game still made 81 metres on 10 carries.
Luke Morahan – 8
The most effective of the Bears three-quarters with his powerful and elegant running often looking the best way they could break through. Was denied what looked a perfectly legitimate, and excellent, try, due to an apparent obstruction on Maro Itoje which was rather generous by the officials.
Semi Radradra – 5
Maybe we all got a little carried away by what the Fijian would bring in his first game in England, in largely unfavourable conditions against a well-drilled Sarries defence. There were one or two flashes but, in the main, he struggled to get involved. His defensive work remained resolute throughout, however.
Siale Piutau – 7
Forced the penalty try by joining the driving maul and for commitment and persistence alone deserves a decent mark – further justified by his eight tackles in midfield - but, in the main, Bristol’s backline failed to really get going as an offensive force.
Henry Purdy – 6
It was a similar story with Purdy who just didn’t see enough quality ball to make an impact but did defend solid enough when called upon, even though Saracens rarely troubled either wing, electing to power through the middle.
Callum Sheedy – 7
Bright and bubby in possession, even in times when he was horribly mismatched in broken field. His kicking was, of course, crucial keeping the scoreboard ticking over and finding touch when it mattered, plus he did his fair share of defensive work.
Harry Randall – 6
At times he looked very sharp with some smart and quick passes but he was one of many whose kicking game deserted them in the first half, which seemed to set an unfortunate tempo for the Bears and prevented any momentum in possession.
Jake Woolmore – 7
A strong scrummaging performance from the last man standing of the Bears front row and put his body on the line throughout.
Bryan Byrne – 5
Harsh to pin all the lineout woes on him, as Harry Thacker also struggled with his throwing, plus it was his full debut in challenging conditions.
John Afoa – 6
Not quite as impactful as Woolmore and didn’t bring much dynamism at the breakdown. But, as was the case with his colleagues in the pack, the scrum was solid.
Dave Attwood – 5
A quiet performance from the second row who had Maro Itoje for company and was replaced by Ed Holmes just before the hour mark.
Chris Vui – 6
Made the joint second-highest tackles, alongside Siale Piutau with eight, and was a nuisance at the breakdown and, at times, in the lineout when trying to thwart Sarries at the set-piece.
Steven Luatua – 7
Kept scrapping away and a few times when the ball spun loose, it was the New Zealand flanker who was first on the scene to keep Sarries at bay. Had a quietly strong lineout performance with a joint team high three claims.
Dan Thomas – 8
The pick of the Bears forwards with some fine work in the lineout and in the loose. Only Saracens Jamie George managed more than his 11 tackles and there were also some sharp hands and creativity from the No7.
Nathan Hughes – 6
It was slightly surprising to see him go off at half-time, given he had made some big plays in the first 40 but, as Pat Lam later explained, lockdown had not been kind to Hughes energy levels and he needs to feel his way back into competitive action.
Replacements
Harry Thacker (for Byrne, ‘46) – 7
Suffered similar problems to the man he replaced in terms of his delivery at the lineout but added real spark in open play, just when Bears needed to inject some life into their approach. Made two incisive breaks, which knocked Saracens off their stride.
Max Lahiff (for Woolmore, ‘58) – 6
On the field for extra and fresh physicality and to bulk up the wall of Bears defenders that had to refuse and resist Saracens at the death. Was given a late yellow card for deliberate offside.
Kyle Sinckler (for Afoa, ‘46) – 6
Got through plenty of work off the ball and kept the Bears scrum consistent after replacing Afoa. There’s plenty more to come from him.
Ed Holmes (for Attwood, ’57) - 6
Much like the man he replaced, there were no standout moments for Holmes but he stuck to his task and position, even when up against a destructive Itoje.
Ben Earl (for Hughes, ‘40) – 7
An impressive 40 minutes for the on-loan Sarries back-rower who ever nearly scored with his first touch. Put himself about the park and got his hands on the ball. Also has a real feistiness about the way he plays.
