Leicester Tigers Batter Northampton Saints 33-0: Player Ratings as Champions Get Schooled
Yesterday at 07:49 PM
Michael Cheika's side made their intentions clear early on, scoring three tries inside the first 15 minutes but took their time to add the bonus. A clunky-looking Northampton, with 26 handling errors throughout the contest, were denied any points at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens, with three tries ruled out in the 80 minutes.
BY HARRINGTON THOMAS
The deadlock was broken after four minutes when Adam Radwan broke free down the far flank, beating Saints' Tom Seabrook for pace. Handré Pollard was unable to add the extras. Jack van Poortvliet doubled the visitors' score inside the first ten minutes. The scrum-half spotted a gap in Northampton's defensive line and chipped George Hendy, making it a dozen points for Leicester. Another try followed for the Tigers—a simple maul saw Olly Cracknell slip out the back and barrel over the whitewash.
A quiet 20 minutes followed, littered with handling errors from the hosts as rain started to fall in the East Midlands. The only scores during this period came from Handré Pollard's boot, as he added two penalties to the Tigers’ tally. Leicester led 23-0 as the teams entered the tunnel.
Juarno Augustus thought he had the first score of the second period, but it was chalked off as Burger Odendaal was deemed to have obstructed the Tigers' defence. The loudest cheer of the evening came for the introduction of Henry Pollock, who had an immediate impact. However, another two disallowed tries for Saints followed—Tom Seabrook was deemed to have scrambled over the line illegally, and a knock-on from George Hendy denied Pollock.
Another quiet period followed, with no points scored since Pollard's 48th-minute penalty, as all of the hosts' efforts were chalked off. A quick tap from an eager Henry Pollock resulted in another handling error, and Leicester's fourth and bonus-point score came courtesy of Charlie Clare, with Pollard adding two more points with five minutes to go. Full-time at the Gardens: 0-33.
Join the RUCK's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Match Summary
Saints: 0
- Tries: 0
- Conversions: 0
- Penalties: 0
- Yellow Cards: 0
- Red Cards: 0
Tigers: 33
- Tries: 4 (Radwan 4', van Poortvliet 9', Cracknell 13', Clare 74')
- Conversions: 2 (Pollard 10', 75')
- Penalties: 2 (Pollard 28', 30', 48')
- Yellow Cards: 0
- Red Cards: 0
Player Ratings
SAINTS
George Hendy – 7
A few errors under the high ball but a bright spark with ball in hand, showing great strength and speed.
James Ramm – 6
Quiet from the Australian, with most Saints’ ball going through the middle.
Fraser Dingwall (c) – 6.5
The glue in the backline, unable—like his counterparts—to spark a move.
Rory Hutchinson – 6
Quiet first 40 and brought off at half-time.
Tom Seabrook – 6.5
Caught out a few times under the high ball.
Fin Smith – 7
Fought on despite the scoreline, showing good decision-making.
Tom James – 6.5
A decent performance from the 9 but unable to get the ball rolling.
Emmanuel Iyogun – 6.5
Solid scrummaging and decent defence.
Curtis Langdon – 6.5
Came flying out of the blocks and seemed up for the occasion.
Trevor Davison – 6.5
Strong in defence and effective in the scrum.
Temo Mayanavanua – 6.5
Good in the air and contributed with a handful of line breaks.
Tom Lockett – 6.5
Strong in lineouts but not much else.
Josh Kemeny – 6.5
A quiet game across the back row for Northampton.
Tom Pearson – 6.5
Same as Augustus, lacking line breaks.
Juarno Augustus – 6.5
A quiet game from the South African, not as dominant as usual.
Replacements
Henry Walker – 6
Tarek Haffar – 6
Luke Green – 6
Alex Coles – 6
Chunya Munga – 6
Henry Pollock – 6.5
Jonny Weimann – 5
Burger Odendaal – 6.5
TIGERS
Freddie Steward – 8
Dominant in the air and broke through the defence multiple times.
Adam Radwan – 7
Scored a try but otherwise quiet.
Solomone Kata – 7
A quiet first period but made his presence felt later with a strong defensive shift.
Joseph Woodward – 7
Like his centre partner, quiet in the first 40 with little distribution coming his way.
Ollie Hassell-Collins – 7.5
Strong under the high ball with electric feet that broke down the defence.
Handré Pollard – 8
Spot-on with his kicking, only missing two attempts.
Jack van Poortvliet – 8.5
MOTM, a bag of tricks, scored a try, and showed minimal errors with good distribution and box kicking.
Nicky Smith – 7
Mixed bag for the Tigers' front row, dominant in scrums and at the breakdown.
Julian Montoya (c) – 7
The glue between forwards and backs, strong leadership.
Joe Heyes – 7
Strong in the scrum but had a few handling errors.
Cameron Henderson – 7
Solid in defence.
Harry Wells – 7
Effective in scrums and reliable in defence.
Hanro Liebenberg – 7.5
A near MOTM performance, making multiple interceptions and dominant in lineouts.
Tommy Reffell – 7
Strong performance in the back row.
Olly Cracknell – 7
Scored a try and showed power in attack with multiple line breaks.
Replacements
Charlie Clare – 6
James Whitcombe – 6
Dan Cole – 6
Come Joussain – 6
Emeka Ilione – 6
Ben Youngs – 6
Ben Volavola – 6
Izaia Perese – 6
Talking Points
Michael Cheika on Leicester's Performance
After a bright 15 minutes where Tigers scored three tries, Cheika believes his side wasn't as "efficient in the second half." He said:
"Think we played some good footie (rugby) in the first half, probably not as efficient in the second half, but we defended really well. It was a good day today. We'll be challenged next Sunday against Saracens."
Leicester's Opening 15 Minutes
Scoring three tries inside the first 15 minutes impressed Cheika. He said:
"The shape of the game was with us because we were able to create good ruck ball. I think we executed our basic skills well, ran good lines, and put pressure on our opposition."
Travelling Fans
Leicester's fan base always travels in numbers, but Cheika was particularly impressed this time. He said:
"I really do think the fans here played their part for us. A lot of noise from the Tigers' fans in the second half when we needed it."
Northampton Director Phil Dowson on His Team's Performance
The last time Northampton were nilled at home was during the 2005/06 season, but they had their chances. Dowson said:
"We actually started very well. We had an opportunity on their five-metre line, but spilled that and continued to give the ball away in poor areas, and we were punished for it. I think it was a case of trying too hard and forcing things that weren't on. Would have been nice if we got one over the line. Three chalked off in the first 14 minutes of the second half—we had a reaction, which is what we asked for, but we just weren't clinical enough."
Dowson on Henry Pollock
The introduction of youngster Henry Pollock received one of the loudest cheers of the game. Dowson said:
"He's obviously become a fan favourite, and you saw the impact he had on the game. He's one of those characters who can change a game. He almost scored off his first carry, which again may have changed the tide a little if we had managed to convert."
The post Leicester Tigers Batter Northampton Saints 33-0: Player Ratings as Champions Get Schooled appeared first on Ruck.
