Player Ratings: Leinster v Saracens

May 11, 2019
6156
Ultimate Rugby

Saracens battled past the defending Champions Cup Champions, Leinster, to win the competition for the third time in four years. A huge performance from both sides but in the end it was the Londoners who came out on top.

Here are our player ratings from the clash:

Leinster

1. Cian Healy - 8

Strong in the scrum and with ball in hand and a nice carry into the Saracens 22 in the second half. Scrummed well, especially when Koch first came on but the South African did improve.

2. Sean Cronin - 6

Hit his jumpers with his lineout darts and made an impact on defence and attack but slightly off his game but was carrying the injury and was taken off early on in the second half.

3. Tadgh Furlong - 7

Had a strong game in his 100th game for Leinster. He dominated Barrington before going onto score the first try of the game. Carried strongly and tackled well.

4. Devin Toner - 5

Called the lineout well and got stuck in on defence but was outplayed by the Saracens' second rowers.

5. James Ryan - 7.5

Ryan was his usual busy self making over 20 carries and made 20 tackles to go with that and once again failed to miss a single tackle.

6. Scott Fardy - 6

Made a crucial turnover with Saracens attacking with intent before the half time whistle. Fardy was sent to the sin bin after a number of infringements from his teammates. Fardy was brilliant for Leinster but his yellow card was costly, even though it wasn't entirely his fault.

7. Sean O'Brien - 6

Busy in all facets of the game before he left the field on the hour mark. O'Brien was hit back a few times and was found wanting physically on occasion.

8. Jack Conan - 7.5

A huge shift from Conan who made a massive 22 tackles and 16 carries. He carried well off the base of the scrum and was strong throughout.

9. Luke McGrath - 5

Overcooked his first box kick. Made an excellent tackle to strip Goode of the ball. Made a costly error not to kick into touch with the clock in the red at the end of the first half. McGrath did make a few telling tackles but he it was far from his best performance in a Leinster jersey.

10. Jonathan Sexton - 6

A strong first half from the Irish International as he kicked well and ran a tidy shift on attack. However, Saracens' brilliant defence nullified Sexton's influence on the game in the second half.

11. James Lowe - 6

A strong first-half performance but Lowe saw little ball in the second half and made just 44 running metres in the clash.

12. Robbie Henshaw - 6

A threat at the breakdown notably early on with a nice turnover. Defensively, Henshaw was strong but he just couldn't get an edge over Brad Barritt who was outstanding.

13. Garry Ringrose - 5

Showed some early jitters with an uncharacteristic knock on. Ringrose got better as the game went on by but like most of the Leinster backline, he was given little chance to make a telly impact on the game.

14. Jordan Larmour - 6.5

Looked threatening in the first half and probably should have got the ball more. Larmour beat 6 defenders and was good under the ball under extreme pressure.

15. Rob Kearney - 7

Made important tackle inside the first 10 minutes on Liam Williams and made a lovely break into the Saracens 22 before he was dragged down just short. Kearney was positioned perfectly throughout the game and contested well in the air.

Saracens

1. Mako Vunipola - n/a

Looked strong early on but left the field after 29 minutes.

Richard Barrington - 6

Was under the pump as he came on and was dominated as Furlong went on to score. Gave a silly penalty away early in the second half. Recovered well and looked to have scored but was denied by the TMO. Finished strongly despite a difficult start to the game.

2. Jamie George - 7.5

Excellent at the set pieces and got through a mountain of work making 11 carries and 20 tackles.

3. Titi Lamositele - n/a

A promising start but like Vunipola his game was ended early with an injury in the 29th minute.

Vincent Koch - 8

Struggled with his first scrum of the game but recovered to play a crucial role in the victory with a strong scrummaging performance and hit the rucks hard. He made an impressive 40 running metres from 7 carries and even found touch with his kick with the clock in the red.

4. Will Skelton - 8

Huge hits and strong carries in the opening half, he really showed off his physicality. Continued to front up to the tough Leinster pack and went on to make 11 carries and 16 tackles.

5. George Kruis - 8.5

A mammoth effort on defence in the first half and continued in that fashion in the second half coming up with a stunning turnover with Leinster looking certain to score. He was superb in the lineout and finished the game with 27 tackles!

6. Maro Itoje - 6

Gave away number of silly penalties away and was sent to the sin bin for multiple infringements in the first half. Itoje was perhaps lucky to not to be given a red after he tackled Kearney in the air. He was busy making 23 tackles but his penalty count was too high.

7. Jackson Wray - 7

One of the quieter Saracens' forwards, Wray was solid making 34 running metres from 8 carries but provided Saracens with nice clean ruck ball that proved to be vital.

8. Billy Vunipola - 9

Made a nice turnover with Saracens attacking over 18 phases in the first 20. Came up with a stellar intercept with Leinster on the attack that later resulted in a penalty. He did the same later in the game after scoring a crucial try off the back of the scrum.

9. Ben Spencer - 7

A few kicks were a touch too long but his service and decision making was decisive and accurate. Spencer was replaced shortly after half time for the more experienced Richard Wigglesworth.

10. Owen Farrell - 8

Was caught unaware in the first 10 minutes and coughing up an early attacking position. Kicked extremely well tactically and to touch from penalties in the first half. Farrell controlled the game superbly and made an impressive 17 tackles without missing.

11. Sean Maitland - 6

Dotted down for a pivotal try in the first half but saw precious little ball throughout. He defended well and chased kicks well in solid performance out wide.

12. Brad Barritt - 9

Early offside gave Leinster the lead and he conceded a silly penalty with a no-arms clean in the ruck in the 20th minute. However, Barritt recovered to put in an outstanding performance where he carried strong, defended even better and led his side to victory.

Oh Captain. My Captain #Chop pic.twitter.com/h8fXOI3KAk

— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) May 11, 2019

13. Alex Lozowski - 8

Some quick thinking on defence stalled a number Leinster's promising attacks while he combined superbly with his fellow backs as Saracens' defence suffocated Leinster's attack.

14.Liam Williams - 8

Lively early on beating a few defenders out wide. Had a super piece of defensive play in the second half making an exceptional tackle and turnover, preventing a try.