Northampton Saints 58 Saracens 34: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

They are a chance to see the stars of tomorrow today.

And at the Gardens on Wednesday night, it certainly felt like we were seeing the foundations of future years being built, most notably in the Saints back row.

Because in Kayde Sylvester, Henry Pollock and Aaron Hinkley, Saints seemed to have the perfect blend of power, pace and panache, not to mention possession pinching.

Pollock and Hinkley in particular stood out as their all-action performances stole the show.

The pair are just 17 and 23 respectively and, particularly in the case of Pollock, they certainly have a long road ahead to make it to the top of the game.

But the raw potential is clearly there; Pollock has been Under-18s captain for a reason, while the praise for Hinkley when he was coming through the ranks with Gloucester and England Under-20s was considerable.

In the corridors of the Gardens, there was similar glowing praise for Sylvester as he continually played in age groups beyond his years. It was just that injuries hampered his progress.

But the same could be said for Lewis Ludlam during his formative years, and look at him now.

Ludlam, the Saints skipper, is now in the England squad, and he should be for many years to come.

You could also see him lining up alongside the likes of Sylvester, Pollock and Hinkley for Saints, and that back row production line is looking very good indeed.

No one, especially the players themselves, will get carried away, particularly not after one Premiership Rugby Cup game.

But you do want to see promising signs, signs of promise - and we certainly saw that here against a young Saracens side, for whom Samson Adejimi shone, scoring four tries on the night.

Saints now have seven points from a possible 10 in the cup - and it really should be a full house as they were undone in dramatic fashion late on at London Irish last week.

But the main thing is how individuals perform and how they fit into the team and its style of play.

Several youngsters, including the likes of Frankie Sleightholme and Tom Litchfield, showed how much they relish playing in front of decent-sized crowds.

And there was no shortage of appetite from the senior players either, with Courtnall Skosan fired up as he secured a hat-trick.

That fighting spirit was there from players of all ages, and the quality was, too.

Now the mission is to build consistency and for those young players to make sure that this truly was the night a special journey started.

How they rated...

JAMES RAMM - wasn't able to get on the scoresheet on this occasion but looked strong throughout, causing problems for Saracens with his direct style... 7.5

COURTNALL SKOSAN - bagged himself a hat-trick as he showed real hunger and first-team class throughout, even intervening defensively in key moments... 8.5

TOM LITCHFIELD - looks to be a real talent who isn't fazed by the first-team environment, and he contributed plenty here, including one fantastic assist for Sleightholme... 8

JOEL MATAVESI - such a shame that he had to exit with what looked to be an arm injury, but prior to that he had delivered a really strong centre showing... 8

FRANKIE SLEIGHTHOLME - a fantastic first half from the wing, who would surely have been a contender for star man had he stayed on for the second period. Scored twice and lit up the Gardens... 8

JAMES GRAYSON - didn't have the best night from the tee, but he was really good in open play again, with one try assist for Skosan a thing of beauty... 7.5

CALLUM BRALEY - kept everyone cool with his composed passing game and decision-making, showing the international experience he has... 7.5

ALEX WALLER - got some valuable minutes under his belt after returning from injury, and was saved for the games ahead as Saints took him off seven minutes before the break... 6.5

ASTON GRADWICK-LIGHT - an excellent learning experience for the young hooker, who put in a big performance and was just disappointed not to get on the scoresheet from a couple of mauls late on... 7

OISIN HEFFERNAN - looked really keen to get involved at every turn, doing what he could in attack and defence, and catching the eye on a couple of occasions... 7.5

BRANDON NANSEN - kept pushing on to the end, making a big turnover even when he was tiring, and this was another forceful display... 7.5

TOM LOCKETT - the lofty lock got through plenty of work before eventually being replaced after taking a knock during the final 10 minutes... 7

KAYDE SYLVESTER - a strong presence in the back row, the signs are clearly there of the talent that made him a much-talked-about prospect... 7

HENRY POLLOCK - CHRON STAR MAN - A truly exceptional performance from the 17-year-old, who scored twice and was involved in numerous other scores... 9

AARON HINKLEY - seemed to be everywhere as he continually picked up the ball and forced Saracens back, eventually capping his performance with a try that epitomised his desire... 9

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

ED PROWSE (for Waller 33) - a strong showing from the bench for the young prop as he looked keen to get his hands on the ball... 6.5

TOBY THAME (for Sleightholme 40) - more useful minutes for the young wing, who certainly has the physicality to be able to compete... 6

MARTY MULHALL (for Heffernan 57) - no shortage of physicality from the on-loan prop, who will be hoping for more game time in the next couple of weeks... 6

ANGUS SCOTT-YOUNG (for Sylvester 57) - put in one huge shot after coming on during the second half, and continues to get his feet under the Saints table... 6