Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder was harsh on his decision-making despite his side defeating Saracens 31-21 in the Aviva Premiership.

Blackadder put his hand up to a benching decision that left his side a man short for the last four minutes of the game.

It did not matter though, as Semesa Rokoduguni earned his side the win with two tries after Saracens had crept ahead for the first time.

"It was a faux pas. I hold my hand up to that one," admitted Blackadder, who made a change in his back row as Anthony Watson went off with a shoulder injury.

"With a player down I should never have made a change until I knew he was OK."

On Rokoduguni's match-winning double, the second a 90-metre dash after intercepting a pass from Mako Vunipola, Blackadder said: "That's Roko. It's freakish. It's not even something you can claim as a coach. Two tries. Bang - unbelievable!

"I'm just so proud of that last try because we had to defend so many phases. It says a lot about our character."

He agreed that his side's first-half display against Saracens, building a 14-0 lead, was one of the best 40 minutes in his time at the club.

"Absolutely. Our discipline was excellent in the first half and the challenge was to replicate that in the second half.

"There were some good lessons out there. Saracens really disrupted our breakdown in the second half and there was a massive momentum shift. We were really defending for 25-30 minutes and we were hanging on by the skin of our teeth.

"We've been in similar positions and lost. I can't complain about the resilience and the character. You always measure a culture by how hard players are prepared to work for each other - and here it's really strong."

He added: "We just went off script a bit in the second half but I'm really proud of the way the guys stuck in there."

Bath's other try came from Francois Louw, with Rhys Priestland kicking two penalties and two drop goals and Freddie Burns converting two of the touchdowns.

Saracens touched down through Ben Spencer and were awarded a penalty try, one of which Owen Farrell converted. Farrell also kicked two penalties and Alex Lozowski one.

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall admitted: "We were extremely poor in the first half today. There were a lot of bad decisions on the ball, a lot of mistakes on the halfway line. We were unable to build any pressure or control the field position. We were out-energised by Bath.

"But we were transformed in the second half and played well. We looked as if we had done enough to win - but it wasn't to be."

He added: "We knew how good Bath's line speed was in defence against Leicester last week. We played into their hands in the first half with the greasy ball. It just wasn't good enough.

"I don't mind too much losing the bonus point. We made a real effort to go and win the match. It was a bit cruel that we came away with nothing."