Champions Cups Stats Leaders - tackles, carries, turnovers & more
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Round 1 of the Champions Cup played out with gusto as the twelve fixtures supplied plenty of action. Leinster find themselves at numbers 1 in Pool A while Pool B is headed by Lyon – both teams having both bagged a total of 5 points from their games as well as building up a healthy points difference on their competitors.
As the second round approaches, we take a look at the stats columns which show Round 1’s top performers.
Points scored
As to be expected, this stat was dominated by the 10s. Toulon fly-half Louis Carbonel and Clermont’s Camille Lopez each bagged 16 points while lively Lyon right winger Xavier Mignot and Clermont’s Japanese flyer Kotaro Matsushima both crossed for hat-ricks to give them 15 points apiece.
Tackles
Scarlets were on the winning side of an upset which saw them down Bath 23-19 and owed much of their success to the energy of number 8 Sione Kalamafoni who pulled off an impressive total of 22 tackles.
Glasgow’s blindside flanker Matt Fagerson also put in a great shift with 21 tackles while the ever-workmanlike Paul Willemse (Montpellier) and Dominic Bird (Racing 92) each contributed 20.
Turnovers won
In-form Exeter number 8 Sam Simmonds pulled out all the stops at the breakdown, posting a brilliant 4 turnovers in his side’s dominant performance against Glasgow Warriors.
Taine Basham (Dragons), Sam Underhill (Bath), Will Skelton(La Rochelle), Sam Matavesi (Northampton) were all impressive at ruck time too, each making 3 steals.
Carries
As per usual, France and La Rochelle number 8 Gregory Alldritt finds himself in the upper echelons of the carries stat, topping it after Round 1 with a total of 23.
Tom Seabrook (Gloucester) and Bath’s Zach Mercer both carried on 18 occasions while Rhys Ruddock (Leinster), Piers O’Conor (Bristol) and Kurtley Beale (Racing 92) made 16 apiece.
Metres gained
Kurtley Beale was in typically fine running form for Racing against Connacht, the fullback racking up 152 running metres.
Exeter wing Tom O’Flaherty made 127m while Connacht’s winger Alex Wootton came in third with 116.
Defenders beaten
It was difficult for Bristol Bears to lay a hand on Clermont’s outside centre Damian Penaud this weekend, the 24 year-old managing to beat an impressive total of 10 defenders during his side’s victory.
Human wrecking-ball George Moala was up against Sale’s Marland Yarde this weekend, both players doing enough to beat 8 defenders, while Tom O’Flaherty stitched up 7.
