Player Ratings: Northampton Saints vs Stade Francais
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Northampton Saints
1. Alex Waller 6/10
Waller failed to make much of an impact in a fairly loose game, one that was not made for front rows, despite this Saints scrum was seriously impressive.
2. Dylan Hartley 6/10
Despite one or two miss throws from Hartley his all round game was decent and managed to make some strong carries.
3. Kieran Brookes 6/10
Similarly to Waller Brookes struggled with the fast pace of the game around the park, however the Saints scrum was strong throughout.
4. Courtney Lawes 9/10
Lawes was seriously good today, stealing opposition ball and stepping up for some big carries. Lawes got the man of the match award for the third time in a row, no doubt he’ll impress this summer.
5. Christian Day 6/10
A strong performance from Day as the Saints line out functioned well.
6. Teimana Harrison 7/10
Some strong breaks from the back row earns him a 7, Harrison was instrumental in Saints win today.
7. Tom Wood 4/10
Wood received a red for stamping on Djibril Camara’s head, disappointing to see in what was an otherwise cracking game of rugby.
8. Louis Picamoles 8/10
Picamoles put in a massively physical performance today, he was a thorn in the side of Stade and really made his presence felt.
9. Nic Groom 7/10
Groom ran the game well and had some impressive box kicks keeping the pressure piled on Stade.
10. Harry Mallinder – 8/10
The young out-half put in another excellent performance for the Saints. His kicking, both out of hand and off the tee was exemplary and he played a key role in the game winning try. One of the stand out performers in an excellent Northampton back line.
11. George North – 7/10
Carried really well and looked extremely dangerous with ball in hand at times. His combination of pace and power caused the Stade defence a lot of problems. Also put in an impressive shift at the breakdown.
12. Luther Burrell – 5/10
Very quiet afternoon for the powerhouse centre. Failed to make any real impact with ball in hand and struggled defensively at times.
13. Nafi Tuitavake – 7/10
Unfortunately forced off early in the second half due to injury but had been excellent until then. Looked dangerous with ball in hand and ran some really intelligent attacking lines.
14. Ben Foden – 8/10
Excellent performance from the winger. Did exceptionally well to score a try early in the second half. Was very consistent under the high ball and played some beautiful territorial kicks which pinned Stade back in their own territory.
15. Ahsee Tuala – 7/10
Very solid performance from the full-back. Very safe under the high ball and kicked really well at times. Caused the Stade defence a host of problems and did incredibly well to touch down for the game winning try after 72 minutes.
Honourable mentions from the bench:
16. Mike Haywood (66’) 7/10
Haywood scrummed well when he came on and meant the Saints dominated at scrum time throughout the game.
19. Api Ratuniyarawa (60’) 8/10
The big second row was just what Saints needed in terms of an energiser on the pitch. Ratuniyarawa made some huge carries that were truly felt by a tiring opposition.
21. Lee Dickson (66’) 6/10
Saints needed a cool head to finish out this game and Dickson provided just that.
Stade Francais
1. Zurabi Zhvania – 5/10
The prop wasn’t involved very much in the loose and was a key part of the Stade scrum that crumbled in the second half.
2. Remi Bonfils – 5/10
Put his side under needless pressure with a yellow card for a silly infringement, when he attempted to trip Mallinder after he made an individual break.
3. Paul Alo Emile – 5/10
The prop was well beaten up in the scrum by his opponent, Alex Waller. It’s very hard for a team to compete when their tighthead can’t offer stability at the set piece.
4. Willem Alberts – 6/10
Worked hard in the engine room for the French side. Great work at the breakdown to speed up the ball for Genia in the first half. Was quite quiet in the second period.
5. Paul Gabrillagues – 6/10
Good option at the lineout. Got through a solid amount of work at the breakdown but failed to make any real impact with ball in hand.
6. Antoine Burban – 5/10
Very quiet afternoon for the flanker. Failed to make any attacking impact and gave away some careless penalties at the breakdo0wn which ultimately cost his side.
7. Raphael Lakafia – 6/10
Put in a very solid defensive shift. Posed a constant threat at the breakdown but struggled to really get going in an attacking sense.
8.Jono Ross – 6/10
Carried very well and caused the Northampton defence a lot of problems with his pace and power. Got through an impressive amount of work at the breakdown and posed a constant turnover threat.
9. Will Genia – 9/10
The scrum-half was at the centre of everything good for Stade today. He set up each of their three tries with clever play on the inside. The pace of his delivery from the ruck was a sight to behold and Saints couldn’t live with the French side when they played at his tempo.
10. Jules Plisson – 6/10
Kicked well at goal but Stade’s main attacking threat was always on the wing. The out-half really needs to offer more through the middle.
11. Jeremy Sinzelle – 7/10
Finished off a great team try in the first half, after a quick tap from his scrum-half. Wasn’t involved too much after that and his team really needed someone to step up and grab a try.
12. Jonathan Danty – N/A
Unfortunately was forced off early through injury but didn’t do much prior to that anyway.
13. Geoffrey Doumayrou – 7/10
Was a key member of most of Stade’s attacks, setting his outside backs away down the wing with precise passing. Looked visibly frustrated when they didn’t hold onto the ball and make the most of the opportunities he gifted them.
14. Waisea Vuidravuwalu – 5/10
Had a great duel with George North tonight and it was he who struck the first blow, with an early try. He carried hard to the line all day but his handling left much to be desired. He butchered a try in the second half, when he couldn’t hold onto a pass from Doumayrou. He also got a great jeer from the Saints fans when he fluffed Mallinder’s up and under shortly after.
15. Djibril Camara – 8/10
A serious threat all day from the back, Northampton limited him chances to counter-attack by kicking deep towards the touchline. Went over for a deserved try after some great play from Genia. Was unlucky not to score again on a couple of occasions, after some great running in open field.
Honourable mentions from the bench:
19. Mathieu De Giovanni (60’) – 5/10
The second row was sprung from the bench to try and change the game back in Stade’s favour. Not only did he not do that but Stade’s performance significantly dropped in the final quarter.
20. Sergio Parisse - (53') 5/10
Uncharacteristically quiet afternoon for the usually exceptional number 8. Failed to make the desired impact when coming off the bench which was ultimately disappointing for his side.
23. Meyer Bosman (22’) – 6/10
Came on quite early but didn’t make a significant contribution as Stade struggled to find holes through the Saints defence.
