Leicester Tigers player ratings vs Saracens: 2025/26 Gallagher PREM Round 9

Sunday, 04 January 2026 at 17:00

byCharlie Elliott

Leicester Tigers player ratings from their comfortable 36-28 victory against Saracens in Round 9 of the Gallagher Prem.

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A confident and cohesive Tigers side came flying out of the blocks in the first half and overpowered their visiting opponents from London for the majority of the opening 40, as Geoff Parling's went into the break with the bonus-point already secured and a 26-7 lead.

The second half was mostly more of the same as the hosts calmed things down and responded well to an early Rhys Carre try from the visitors. While a comeback was threatened at times, it never really looked like it was going to happen for Mark McCall's Saracens, who were never within touching distance.

Leicester Tigers: 36

Tries: Freddie Steward (6'), Ollie Cracknell (12'), Adam Radwan (28',60'), Joe Heyes (40')
Cons: Billy Searle (6',13',40',60')
Pens: Billy Searle (55')
Yellow: Billy Searle (79')

Saracens: 28

Tries: Theo McFarland (22'), Rhys Carre (52'), Juan Martin Gonzalez (64'), Charlie Bracken (79')
Cons: Fergus Burke (23',53',64',79')
Pens:
Yellow: Elliot Daly (28')

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Job done ✔️

5:00 PM · Jan 4, 2026

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Leicester Tigers Player Ratings:

15 Freddie Steward — 7

Solid defensively and in the air as per usual, which shouldn't come as a surprise. Offered plenty in attack too, scoring a try early on whilst also being involved in the build-up with a smart offload under pressure. His try well well-finished after a nice kick through by Billy Searle.

14 Adam Radwan — 8

Radwan put in the kind of performance that we have come to expect from him, mixing pure pace with a fair bit of grit and power to show why he is one of the most potent wingers in this league.

He is even making the acrobatic dive his signature move, finishing in the corner with one in similar fashion to his semi-final score against Sale Sharks last season. Secured the brace with a well-intercepted pass that no one was going to catch him from. Simply electric.

13 Will Wand — 6.5

Put in plenty of hustle on both sides of the ball, winning a well-earned pen while Sarries were under pressure. Made the most when he got his hands on the ball and made a nuisance of himself, albeit not as much as he'd perhaps have liked.

12 Orlando Bailey — 6.5

Worked well as a second receiver and was a key part of Tigers' fluid attack. Plenty of smart passes and his only real blemish was an extremely poorly kicked conversion while Billy Searle was receiving treatment.

11 Ollie Hassell-Collins — 6.5

Didn't get as many touches as he would have liked and was relatively quiet. Acquitted himself well defensively and looked solid in the air. Definitely a key part of this team but did a lot of unsung work today.

10 Billy Searle — 9

An absolute masterclass throughout the game from Searle, who has been in brilliant form all season. Helped to start off the scoring with a deft kick through from five metres out that Steward finished, and mixed moments of brilliance with plenty of intelligent play.

Got another assist after evading a few tackles and producing a well-weighted kick out wide that Radwan finished well. Overall, Searle was the backbone of a purring attack and will be incredibly happy with how he played. Came off right at the death to a deserved rapturous applause after getting a yellow.

9 Jack van Poortvliet — 7

Scrum-half has been a problem position for them recently with Tom Whiteley less than living up to expectations, but JVP clearly adds something different to the side and has great game intelligence that he showed on numerous occasions.

1 Nicky Smith — 6.5

Wasn't able to have as many scrums as he would have liked, and all ended up being pretty straightforward. Involved himself with a lot of touches on the ball, including a couple of very neat offloads.

2 Jamie Blamire — 7.5

Some great tackling and desire to start the game and fend off a few early moments of danger. Lineout throwing was extremely solid and formed a great platform for his side to work off.

3 Joe Heyes — 7

In similar fashion to Smith, wasn't able to make a huge impact at scrum-time but managed to offer a fair bit around the park. Powered over for the bonus-point and made an outstanding interception in his own five metre at the start of the second half.

4 Cameron Henderson — 7

Unstoppable in the air at lineout time and managed to steal one from a Jamie George throw. Brought plenty of bit and physicality and generally did a very good job.

5 Ollie Chessum — 7.5

Like Henderson, was a constant lineout threat on both sides of the ball, with a steal of his own. Showed some neat footwork to shimmy past a defender in the build-up to Heyes' BP try. Clearly a top player and leader and helped his side a lot.

6 James Thompson — 6.5

Worked hard, put himself about and did all of the things expected from a blindside flanker. One miscommunication at lineout time was the only minor blemish, however it may not have actually been his fault.

7 Sam Williams — 7

An eager and very positive performance in his first Prem start, suggesting that it may not be his last. Looked to get onto every loose ball, showed great physicality and nearly got a try for himself.

While nearly scoring, he possibly could have released the ball earlier, although that kind of overexcitement can be expected on debut.

8 Olly Cracknell — 7

His highlight came 12 minutes into the game when he powered over for Tigers' second try. Beyond that he had plenty of minor moments, but nothing to write home about before he was taken off for Emeka Ilione at half-time. Not the worst performance and his try does a lot of heavy lifting here.

Replacements — 7

Didn't need to do anything remarkable and just had to keep things solid, which is exactly what they did. Cannot have any complaints about a group of replacements that saw the game out.