Bath 16 – 28 Saracens: Aviva Premiership Final Player Ratings

BATH

15. Anthony Watson: 5
Little time to impact proceedings before heading off after that tackle from Farrell. Bought the dummy for Farrell’s try; perhaps proof that all was not well.

14. Semesa Rokodoguni: 8
Always threatening in the wide channels, never more so than with a glorious stop-and-go sidestep that mirrored the one from the previous week. The most dangerous player on the pitch going forwards.

13. Jonathan Joseph: 7.5
Showcased his dazzling hitch-kick footwork to round opposite man Duncan Taylor untouched for his try. Occasionally guilty of running up blind alleys, but always a willing option.

12. Kyle Eastmond: 5
Didn’t make the same inroads as his centre partner and was responsible of putting far too much speed on the pass that Batty dropped, leading to Jamie George’s decisive try.

11. Matt Banahan: 5.5
After his semi-final heroics, it was a much quieter afternoon for the hulking winger. Bath attempted to use his height through cross field kicks, but couldn’t quite get the timing right.

10. George Ford: 6
Once again there was plenty of evidence of the slick passing and ability to bring his runners into the game, but there was also too much wayward or ineffectual kicking from hand. On the big stage, he was outplayed by Farrell in terms of controlling the game.

9. Peter Stringer: 5.5
There was nothing much wrong with Stringer’s performance but there was little threat about him either. He sniped just once with ball in hand, which made him easy to read for the defence.

1. Paul James: 5
Did marginally better than his propping partner but was still very much part of a set piece unit that came off comfortably second best.

2. Ross Batty: 6
Dropped the pass that led to the George try, but it’s debatable how much he can be held accountable for that. The lineout was solid while he remained on the pitch and it’s somewhat baffling as to why he was brought off so early.

3. Dave Wilson: 4.5
It was a poor day at the scrummaging office (read: scrum) for the England tighthead, who conceded three penalties before exiting in considerable ignominy.

4. Stuart Hooper: 6
Showed as much heart as ever but was unable to inspire his team to a similar level of performance as the week before. An unfortunate end to the season for Bath’s greatest warrior.

5. Dave Attwood: 6.5
Put himself about to good effect and finished as his side’s top tackler, but didn’t get his hands on the ball all too often and couldn’t make decent inroads when he did.

6. Sam Burgess: 7.5
More improvement from Burgess who looked immensely hungry and never overawed on his biggest stage to date in union. Carried more ball than any other man in a Bath shirt and although there weren’t too many eye-catching breaks, he always crashed over the gainline.

7. François Louw: 6.5
A tidy performance from the South African flanker, although he could not influence the breakdown as we know he can. Offloaded impressively.

8. Leroy Houston: 6
Shrugged off the attentions of the first defender more often than not, but could never fully break free. 13 running metres from 60 minutes, as one of Bath’s main carriers, shows just how tenacious Sarries’ defence was.

Replacements: 5
Ollie Devoto performed manfully in the unfamiliar position of fullback. Rob Webber, however, added fuel to the fire for those that argue his form has deserted him and question his inclusion in the England squad with a woefully inaccurate showing at the line-out. Everyone else did their best but were unable to inspire a comeback that never looked like happening.

SARACENS

15. Alex Goode: 7.5
An immensely intelligent performance from the England fullback; some of his kicking from hand was insatiably good, never allowing Bath’s dangerous counterattackers a platform from which to operate.

14. Dave Strettle: 7
One gorgeous little flick (see below) confirmed the sort of confidence he is feeling at the moment, and it was such a shame to see the resultant try disallowed. Still, averaged almost 20 metres per carry, made all of his tackles and dealt well with the aerial threat of Banahan.

13. Duncan Taylor: 6
Showed some nice touches in attack, but was completely shown up by Joseph when he danced his way to the line without a hand so much as near him. Missed four tackles in the game but also got through more than his share – a bit of a mixed bag, really.

12. Brad Barritt: 6
Made his tackles, ran hard – generally set the tone for a back-line that, for the most part, effectively shut down the more dangerous men opposite them.

11. Chris Wyles: 6
Strolled in for a try after good work from those inside him (most notably the Vunipola brothers) but was well shackled every other time the ball came his way.

10. Owen Farrell: 8
Despite being lucky to avoid a yellow card for a high tackle (it wasn’t close to a red card offence), this was a reminder of the qualities that Farrell brings to a rugby team – steely composure and dead-eye accuracy. His kicking, both from the tee and hand, and game management were almost faultless.

9. Richard Wigglesworth: 7
Like his half-back partner, his tactical and clearance kicking was more often than not on the money. Service was always snappy.

1. Mako Vunipola: 8
A sublime afternoon for the elder Vunipola, who had opposite man Wilson on toast in the scrums and recovered superbly from a poor pass to gather and give in the build-up to Chris Wyles’ try.

2. Jamie George: 8.5
Unofficial man of the match in most people’s eyes. His 35 metre sprint to the line showcased a level of pace that a man of his bulk should never possess, but that makes him such a weapon. Line-out ran flawlessly. A performance so well-rounded that he’s been installed by Paddy Power as the 1/3 favourite to start England’s opening World Cup game!

3. Petrus du Plessis: 7
His stats read zero passes and zero carries, but that tells little of the South African’s performance in the tight, where he contributed to a set-piece that proved a key part of the victory.

4. George Kruis: 8
A massively industrious performance from the hulking lock, who was the game’s top tackler with 14, without missing any. Was also the poacher-in-chief of Bath line-out ball.

5. Alistair Hargreaves: 6
Would have been gutted not to remain on the pitch til the end, after a head injury forced him off after half an hour. Led from the front until then, although didn’t really impact the game in any other way.

6. Maro Itoje: 7.5
Another power-packed performance from one of England’s brightest prospects. There are few players that possess his athleticism, and it was another accurate performance with no tackles missed.

7. Jacques Burger: 6.5
The Namibian was his typically manic self, tearing around the park and setting the tone for his side’s physicality, as always. Slipped off six tackles, which has to be more than he ever has in a single game, however.

8. Billy Vunipola: 7.5
For many of his carries (and he made more than anyone else on the pitch) he was well shackled, but still managed to break his way over the gainline more often than not. Threw a nice pass in the build-up to Wyles’ try to show that he is far more than a one-trick pony.

Replacements: 7
No one player that came on did anything especially eye catching, but what they did do was ensure the screw remained turned and didn’t allow Bath to get back into the game. There are few sides that protect a lead as well as Saracens, and a large part of that is down to how they use their reserves so intelligently.

By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images