Vodacom Bulls 21-30 Northampton Saints: Player Ratings as Saints claim a vintage Champions Cup victory
12/16/2024 08:15 AM
Northampton Saints produced a stunning bonus point away victory against the Vodacom Bulls to continue their perfect start in the Investec Champions Cup. In testing South African conditions the Saints put in a dedicated shift at both ends of the pitch to come out with a historic win.
George Hendy, Juarno Augustus and a Tommy Freeman brace secured the bonus point for Northampton, but they certainly had to earn every inch in a hard-fought affair, with the hosts scoring three tries themselves and having a couple ruled out to play in the Saints favour.
Against the run of play the Saints put the first points of the game on the board, with George Hendy after just a couple of minutes on the pitch getting across the line. Some strong work from Rory Hutchinson before offloading to Finn Smith who set Hendy on his way.
Didn't take long for Bulls to strike back however, with veteran Springbok Marcell Coetzee skipping past Fraser Dingwall's missed tackle to see clean air in front of him all the way to the try line in the 35th minute.
A yellow card to Emmanuel Iyogun just before the break looked to put Northampton in a hole going into the second half, however out of nowhere the Saints get in to score again. A really poor Bulls lineout is picked up by Juarno Augustus and try-scorer Coetzee comes flying in with a challenge to give the visitors an advantage. The returning Alex Mitchell showed his value with some quick thinking and found Augustus cutting round the outside to give the Saints a five-point lead at the half.
Northampton added a huge third try courtesy of Tommy Freeman, Alex Mitchell kicked a 50:22 superbly and the Saints worked a move into their winger where he improvised to ground the ball.
The Bulls were not defeated however, with standout performer Cameron Hanakom battling to score two tries in an eight-minute spell that had the game in the balance with a one-point difference.
But Northampton and England winger Freeman did what he does best, securing a victory to remember for his side after some lovely work from Hutchinson inside who shipped it out to the 23-year-old and saw off the Bulls' late charge.
Northampton Saints: 30
Tries: 4 (Hendy 32', Augustus 40', Freeman 59', 76')
Conversions: 2 (Smith 40', 59')
Penalties: 2 (Smith 58', 72')
Drop Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 1 (Iyogun 39')
Red Cards: 0
Starting XV: 1. Emmanuel Iyogun 2. Curtis Langdon 3. Elliot Millar Mills 4. Temo Mayanavanua 5. Tom Lockett 6. Alex Coles 7. Henry Pollock 8. Juarno Augustus 9. Alex Mitchell 10. Finn Smith 11. Ollie Sleightholme 12. Rory Hutchinson 13. Fraser Dingwall 14. Tommy Freeman 15. George Furbank
Replacements: 16. Craig Wright 17. Tarek Harper 18. Trevor Davison 19. Chunya Munga 20. Angus Scott-Young 21. Tom Pearson 22. Archie McParland 23. George Hendy
Bulls: 21
Tries: 3 (Coetzee 35', Hanakom 61', 69')
Conversions: 3 (Goosen 35', 61', 69')
Penalties: 0
Drop Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 0
Starting XV: 1. Gerhard Steenekamp 2. Akker van der Merwe 3. Wilco Louw 4. Ruan Vermaak 5. JF van Heerden 6. Marcell Coetzee 7. Elrigh Louw 8. Cameron Hanekom 9. Embrose Papier 10. Johan Goosen 11. Devon Williams 12. David Kriel 13. Canan Moodie 14. Sebastian de Klerk 15. Willie Le Roux
Replacements: 16. Jan-Hendrik Wessels 17. Alulutho Tshakweni 18. Francois Klopper 19. Deon Slabbert 20. Nama Xaba 21. Zak Burger 22. Boeta Chamberlain 23. Stedman Gans
Player Ratings
Northampton Saints
15. George Furbank- 5
Left the pitch in the first half took a huge whack from Elrigh Louw that forced him off with an arm injury after a quiet half an hour from the Saints skipper and England international.
14. Tommy Freeman- 8.5
Northampton's flying winger came to life after half-time, scoring the crucial tries to see them to victory following a low-key first half outing.
13. Fraser Dingwall- 7
Defensively was crucial for the Saints alongside his centre partner, Dingwall made a crucial challenge on the line to stop De Klerk scoring in the second half.
12. Rory Hutchinson- 8
The Scotland international did absolutely everything for 80 minutes on both sides of the ball, setting up Freeman's game-clinching try but was also a stalwart defensively.
11. Ollie Sleightholme- 6
Sleightholme didn't see much opportunity to use that well-known blistering pace, a quieter game that what we are used to by the England star.
10. Finn Smith- 7.5
Smith was excellent at managing the game in the closing minutes, despite missing two conversions he scored a worldie of a penalty from near halfway.
9. Alex Mitchell- 8
A very welcome return to the lineup following some time out injured, Mitchell was at the heart of most good things Northampton did, notably a 50:22 kick that was inch-perfect and resulted in the first of Freeman's tries.
1. Emmanuel Iyogun- 6
Iyogun picked up what could've been a costly yellow card at the end of the first half in a game being dictated by the scrum, but luckily for him his side managed the game expertly.
2. Curtis Langdon- 7
Langdon's lineouts delivered for the Saints, and he managed to see out all 80 minutes in the South African heat against a heavy-hitting Bulls front row.
3. Elliot Millar Mills- 6
Millar Mills was brought off at half-time following a draining clash with his opposite numbers, but still managed to hold up some sort of defence against a dominant first half scrum.
4. Temo Mayanavanua- 6
Mayanavanua played his role up until the 53rd minute in providing protection in the second row, enforcing some big hits to contribute to a well-rounded Saints' defence.
5. Tom Lockett- 6.5
Lockett earns half a mark more for his showing in the locks, with a tough 80 minutes completed by the 6'8" Englishman.
6. Alex Coles- 7
Coles was crucial to the Saints withstanding Bulls' pressure, his big frame holding things down amid a tough encounter against a powerful set of forwards.
7. Henry Pollock- 7
Northampton's wonderkid showed no signs of nerves in a testing away trip, constantly looking to get stuck into anything thrown his way against plenty of senior internationals.
8. Juarno Augustus- 8
Augustus added to his brace last week with a try today before he departs the Saints in the summer, scoring on the stroke of half-time was the perfect counterpunch the Saints needed to build a platform for a second half display.
Replacements
16. Craig Wright- N/A
17. Tarek Haffer- 6
18. Trevor Davison- 7
Filled in for the second forty brilliantly, dealing with a heavyweight front row face-off.
19. Chunya Munga- 6
20. Angus Scott-Young- 6
21. Tom Pearson- 7
Saints needed Pearson's tenacious tackling to see out the victory, he came on to the pitch at a perfect time to solidify a top team performance.
22. Archie McParland- N/A
23. George Hendy- 8
Hendy was crucial in Saints' victory, scoring the first try of the game merely minutes after coming on and brought significant pace in the counterattack.
Vodacom Bulls
15. Willie Le Roux- 6.5
Not a vintage Le Roux showing, but the 98 capped Springbok had his moments, producing some lovely kicking and scoring something of a joint try with Moodie before TMO decided the ball wasn't grounded.
14. Sebastian de Klerk- 6
A quiet game on the wing for de Klerk, coming close to scoring in the second half if it wasn't for Fraser Dingwall's last-ditch challenge to put the wide man into touch.
13. Canan Moodie- 6.5
Played his role in the centre for the Bulls, and alongside Le Roux was part of a joint disallowed try, but didn't quite bring the same impact his opposite numbers Hutchinson and Dingwall.
12. David Kriel- 6
Similar to Moodie, didn't impose himself on the game to the same extent as the Saints' centres before being replaced ten minutes before full time.
11. Devon Williams- 7
Williams' pace was a constant threat to the Saints, with the winger scoring an opening try before TMO interjected a called it back for obstruction in the build-up. Appeared to pick up a knock in the second half that hindered his danger.
10. Johan Goosen- 7.5
Goosen was faultless with his kicking, but the fly half had a great opportunity to score a try in the first 15 minutes, but instead fumbled and coughed up a key chance.
9. Embrose Papier- 7
Papier's felt as if it faded in the second half but was a key cog in a dominant first half showing from his side.
1.Gerhard Steenekamp- 7
The Bulls front row was dominant in the first half, ousting the Saints scrum on near enough every occasion.
2. Akker van der Merwe- 6
The hooker was replaced early in the second half but alongside Louw and Steenekamp played a crucial role in the first half before his terrible lineout cost the Bulls a try in the dying seconds of the first half when they had a narrow lead.
3. Wilco Louw- 7
Louw also left early into the second half but provided some big hits and heavy scrum-play to put pressure on the visitors' defence.
4. Ruan Vermaak- 5.5
Vermaak had to be replaced for most of the first half and didn't add any standout moments in his second half performance.
5. JF van Heerden- 7
Van Heerden was a force in the Bulls' second row, adding 80 minutes of power despite his side coming out with nothing.
6. Marcell Coetzee- 7
Despite scoring his teams' first try of the game, it was a mixed game for Coetzee, making a poor challenge and the referee awarding an advantage that resulted in the Saints killer try just before half-time.
7. Elrigh Louw- 6.5
Louw Certainly brought plenty of force, as George Furbank can attest, but the Bulls skipper didn't quite make the impact you would have expect.
8. Cameron Hanekom- 9
No doubt the standout performer on the pitch, Hanekom scored a couple of powerful tries and had a ridiculous engine on him all game. Very hard done by to be on the losing side.
Replacements
16. Jan-Hendrik Wessels- 6.5
17. Alulutho Tshakweni- 6
18. Francois Klopper- 6.5
19. Deon Slabbert- N/A
20. Nama Xaba- 6
21. Zak Burger- 6
22. Boeta Chamberlain- 6
23. Stedman Gans- 6
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