Saracens 39 Northampton Saints 24: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

The black, green and gold had felt the buzz after a brilliant 30-21 win against Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria, but, just eight days later, they were left with a sore head.

Saracens flew into a 24-0 lead in the swirling wind of the wide-open StoneX Stadium, and that mountain proved too steep to scale as Saints suffered a 39-24 defeat.

It was their fifth loss in eight Gallagher Premiership matches so far this season and leaves them with so much work to do if they want to stand any chance of defending their title.

This league season has felt so fragmented for Saints, who have never managed to build up any momentum at any point.

They had hoped back-to-back bonus-point wins in Europe would kick them into life in the league, but there was no festive fizz against Saracens, just a lack of first-half physicality and errors galore.

Saints dished out gift after gift during a first half that left director of rugby Phil Dowson as angry as you will ever see him.

The TNT Sports coverage showed Dowson delivering a demonstrative team-talk as he tried to spark his players into life after another humbling opening 40 minutes.

They have often struggled to get going in league games this season, leaving themselves with so much second-half work to do, notably in recent games against Gloucester and Saracens.

And they couldn't do it, with the Gloucester result in particular so damaging as it destroyed Saints' superb home league run and deprived them of points they would have been banking on.

That is not to say Gloucester are not a good side, it's just that when you face what is currently the league's top four in your first four away games, you can't afford to lose at home.

If you do, you find yourselves in a deep hole, and that's exactly where Saints are now as they have 10 points to make up on fourth-placed Leicester Tigers.

It has been a season in which spanner after spanner has been put in the works, with key injuries and an England training camp meaning consistency of selection has been tough.

Bear in mind Saints were without tone-setter Alex Mitchell for the opening six and a half league matches, they have not had Burger Odendaal at all, they didn't have Fin Smith at Bristol and lost him four minutes in against Gloucester.

Now they are without skipper George Furbank for a prolonged period, while big summer signing Josh Kemeny has been sidelined in recent weeks and the likes of Sam Graham and Robbie Smith, key squad pieces, are out for the long term.

Of course all teams have injuries to deal with, but when you are working with a mid-table budget you can't afford such huge absences for such huge league matches.

Saints will still expect more of themselves, and rightly so, as they were able to pride themselves on building squad depth last season.

But they also had a really good run with injuries when it mattered, being able to field the majority of their star men during the run-in.

And they will need that good fortune again if they are to challenge at home and abroad this season.

Some are suggesting the league season is over for Saints, but it is dangerous to write any Northampton team off, especially with 10 games to go.

If they can find a way to secure back-to-back home wins in the next couple of weeks, things will look very different on the return to European action.

And Saints showed last season that when they really want something, like they did in South Africa very recently, they can find a way to achieve it.

Now it's about finding the right formulas and refuelling the fire for further winter endeavours.

How they rated…

GEORGE HENDY - it was tough under the high ball but he made things happen in an attacking sense, picking up a couple of try assists, and even won a turnover at one point... 6

TOMMY FREEMAN - had aerial troubles in the first half, like so many of his team-mates, but came out firing in the second period to deliver an eye-catching try... 5.5

TOM LITCHFIELD - made a couple of bursts that got Saints going forward but couldn't quite have the effect he would have hoped... 5

RORY HUTCHINSON - was so good in South African, but wasn't able to weave his magic on this occasion as Saracens suffocating him with their linespeed... 5

JAMES RAMM - couldn't really get going in this game and was eventually replaced early in the second half... 4.5

FIN SMITH - an unusually tough day for the talented fly-half as he made a couple of errors he would never normally, though he did eventually start a move that led to a bonus-point score for Saints... 5

ALEX MITCHELL - tried to make things happen for his team but Saracens really did well in limiting his influence... 5

MANNY IYOGUN - one of the better performers of the first half for Saints as he put in some huge hits but he sadly had to be helped off the field with an injury in the second period... 5.5

CURTIS LANGDON - didn't have the kind of first half he would have wanted but used that frustration to produce a better second-half showing... 5

TREVOR DAVISON - was really unlucky with some harsh scrum calls, with one in particular proving costly for Saints... 5

TOM LOCKETT - was forced off after being hit with a high tackle by Maro Itoje, but thankfully passed his head injury assessment... 5

CHUNYA MUNGA - kept battling on as he won a turnover for his team during the second half and tried to carry hard... 5

ALEX COLES - was a real nuisance for Saracens at lineout time, claiming a couple of steals but was penalised on a couple of occasions here... 5

TOM PEARSON - had a tough first half with a couple of knock-ons in quick succession but deserves real credit for a far better second half display that he capped with a try... 5.5

JUARNO AUGUSTUS - Saracens seemed to really target this man as they sought to make a physical statement, and they stopped him having a say here... 4.5

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

TEMO MAYANAVANUA (for Lockett 46) - added some extra physicality but Saracens were strong against Saints' big men... 5.5

HENRY POLLOCK (for Augustus 47) - helped to lift the energy levels for Saints, as he so often does... 6

TAREK HAFFAR (for Iyogun 50) - will hope for more minutes in the weeks to come and looked hungry for action... 6

FRASER DINGWALL (for Litchfield 52) - made some typically good defensive reads and Saints probably missed his influence during the first half... 6

OLLIE SLEIGHTHOLME (for Ramm 56) - so often etches his name on the scoresheet, and this was no different as he tried to bring his side back into the game... 6